Between Brothers
by The Grey Coincidence
Summary: A brother. A man or boy in relation to other sons and daughters of his parents... or is it more than that ? Brotherhood. The relationship between brothers... or is it more ? Here lies a story full of revenge, love, betrayal and good old-fashioned butt-kicking... or is it more than that ?
1. The Horror

**A/N; Happy Halloween ! So as part of my Quadruple Update (Quadate anyone ?), I got shit loads of candy so yes, life has been going very well for me. :) Enjoy my latest story... or else.  
**

Saras felt a twinge of nervousness as he entered the mansion. He knew it had once belonged to the Daisui's, a wealthy enough family that had fallen into dissaray and currently onl had one male descendant and they were on the run from the law. The mansion had then fallen into the paws of some very shady people who Aang had somehow befriended. They had now been missing for several days and Aang ahd of course sent him to see what was wrong.

Well he wasn't technically supposed to be there but he had decided that he was much better at getting his head bruised from some attacker than at getting his butt sore in council meetings. Besides he really needed to think so,mme things over, and there were some things one could only really think while ducking under a bllow to your head. The bat in charge of the squadron was a flying fox, who seemed better equuipped at giving out orders than doing anything productive himself.

The ground floor was silent, except for the creaking of every single floorboard he placed foot on. In fact it was too quiet, a blind man could see that somethiing was wrong, either that or there was some really creepy surprise party in the works here. Saras sniffed at the air, breaking the silence for a moment, but detecting no strange or out of place scents in the air. The doors were all shut, only one stood agape, ominously on the second floor, the light trickling into the old mansion like a set of worms. Somehow this made the fox shiver.

They ascended the staircase, drawing weapons as they went up. Saras chose a knife and puled it from his belt, gulping as a sudden squeak silenced them all. The door didn't even exist. It was just there, a massive black hole of pitch dark that stood swallowing the light. Saras gulped again, his heart beginning to race, his forehead receiving a small short trickle of sweat. Something was definetly wrong here. He crept forwards, careful not to tread on anything that looked like it couldn't carry his weight. He heard a crack underneath him and soon found himself falling with a yelp.

The room was pitch black. But here something else was at work. Saras placed a paw to his nose, the other still clutching the knife. The smell near knocked him out, as if the fall wasn't enough.

"You down there ! Do you see anything ?"

2No he managed to cough out. But it stinks over here".

"What does it smell of"?

"Death", Saras choked out the word, as he stood on his feet, and walked forwards, carefully. Unfortunately he felt his feet sink into something soft and fleshy. He gagged, knowing what a corpse felt like. He struggled forwards. There had been windows on the outside, surely there had to be a curtain somewhere. The paw with the knife tapped a piece of cloth, and sop he pulled at it. He nearly puked again, when he saw what he had done. He heard retching from upstairs, clearly the bats could see the devastation too.

The corpses were beyond recognizability, all were a pale grey in colour, with bits of fur falling off and other pieces falling off in clumps. Their mouths stood agape, their teeth grey and not looked after. The only upside Saras could think of was that no worms or flies crawled over the deceased bodies. This was not Aang's friend however, he could see that much. He felt his paw touch metal and turned to it. It was a copper key. Placing the knife back in it's case he picked it up with his free paw, the other one was still wrapped around his nose, blocking out as best it could the foul air that plagued the house.

He slid it into the keyhole and turned it once. "Hey, I've got a key"! He called out to the bats above, but no voice decided to answer him. "Okay, suit yourselves", he muttered as he pushed open the door which slid open with a squeak that seemed to batter his ears.

He slid the door close, eager to put the corpses behind him. He wondered whether the key worked on all the doors in the mansion. Turning to the next door he placed the key inside and turned it.

The room was covered in dust, and statues crowded the place like some sort of ghost town. On one end of the room he noted a wardrobe. Suddenly something sliced at his back, and pushed him back into the room, pulling the door shut behind him. If this is some sort of joke. Deciding that he had received a mere scratch Saras approached the wardrobe. He pulled the doors open, and stared long and hard into the mirror he saw there. He saw his face, his bright red fur, his ears, his light brown eyes, and the marble paw that was coming his way. He turned just in time to catch the blow. It stopped just before it hit his face. He blinked and felt the full force of the paw slam into his snout, knocking him onto his back.

His assailant was a great bear statue, all grey and black. He blinked testily,and when he opened his eyes next the bear's jaw stood wide open in front of him. Forcing his eyes not to shut he teleported behind the statue. Shifting into a hummingbird he flapped up to the ceiling, hovering for a moment he suddenly flew into the roof. He crashed right through the wood, and landed with a sore head on a bed in yet another room, this one on the second floor no doubt.

"Hullo"! Called someone as they knocked on the door.

"I'm here"! Saras replied, shifting into a fox and barging into the door. He merely bounced off the wood, and lay sprawled on the ground as the bats forced it open.

"This is no time to be lying around"!

"What happened to you"?

Half off the bat's facial skin was peeled right off, and the other seven weren't looking much better.

"We were attacked", the leader beckoned with his wing. "We need to leave. This house is just getting weirder and weirder, and I really don't think I need anything supernatural to happen to me again ! Now let's move"!

Saras raced along, confused, with the bats. "What happened"?

"Oh yeah, well when you left yeah, dem tings started coming for us yeah, they snatched one pair and the rest of us barely got out, then some other ting said that 'there is no escape', or somewhat like that". The nearest bat explained.

Suddenly a long purple tentacle coated in slime crashed through the wall, wrapped itself around the same bat and dragged the helpless mammal with a girlish shriek.

"Every man for himself"! Someone cried and then it was havoc. They all ran for the door, but stopped, just as a skinless bat dropped down from the ceiling, hanging from his own stopped in his tracks. As did everyone else, suddenly two more bats dropped down, similarly disfigured.

 _There is no escape. I know I tried. Do not resist and the end will come sweeter._ The voice said.

Saras twitched. He couldn't move, the fear was crashing into his chest like a lead weight. _I need something, I need to focus._ His claw raked the tip of his paw, a thin trickle of blood appeared just as the tentacle came in again, taking two more shrieking bats to a horribly painful death. Suddenly he found he could move.

Before he could do anything however a tall, crimson cloaked figure strolled into the room. Saras found himself staring up into eyes as dark as death. He gulped, and with a shaking paw withdrew a knife.

"W-w-what are you"?

"Now wouldn't you like to now", the figure sneered.

Suddenly the tentacle wrapped itself around the vulpine's chest and hauled him through the air. Shaking uncontrollably he stared sliced pitifully at the tentacle, his knife scraped the jelly-like substance, yet failed to do anything.

The tentacle belonged to an eye, one that was made out of the exact same jelly-like substance as the tentacles. Saras squirmed desperately, his face was burning, his eyes were beyond his control, staring into the purple eye as if it was a thing of it's own. He snapped his eyelids down, but his face still burnt. He teleported, but received a sudden jolt as his own chi coursed through him like lightning. He tried and failed to shape shift, but received only sparks of green to erupt around him.

 _No chi, no knife, no claws._

He opened his eyes again, looking for anything he could use.

Then he found it. Under the eye stood a short square body, to which the tentacles were connected. It shone metalically. And it was just in reach of his Talon Claws. His feet snapped forwards, snapping shut on the metal body, and slicing open two holes, where his blades had struck. Suddenly he was on the ground, covered in the purple slime that burnt as hot as wax, compared to the burning from before, it felt strangely pleasant.

He kicked open the door of the room he had killed the eye in and raced back down to the staircase. From the second floor landing he could see the crimson-cloaked figure sink fangs into a bat, as the blood seeped and joined his cloak. Saras charged forwards, down the stairs, knife in paw. The figure turned swiftly to the sound of running behind him. He was unable to do anything however, as the knife slid in under his hood, sinking into the soft jelly of an eyeball.

The figure in crimson shrieked and backed away, but Saras was on to him. Teleporting behind the figure he sliced open the crimson cloak from behind, as blood flew from the wound, he brought down his other paw, his claws raking the back of the figure's head.

"ENOUGH"! The figure suddenly yelled, throwing the fox into a wall. Ripping off his cloak he revealed himself to be a wolf, his fur a deep crimson colour. "You will pay for every minuscule little cut you have done to me."

"Really ? That's interesting", Saras replied, as he teleported away from the knife of blood that crashed into the spot he had been.

The wolf turned round. Only two bats remained, watching wide-eyes in fear. He summoned a ball of blood and was about to shoot it at them when he heard an ominous squeak. Slowly the wolf turned to look upwards, just as a chandelier came crashing down upon him, the tip of it piercing right through his throat. Drawing his spiked knife Saras brought the blade down heavily between the lupine's eyes.

As soon as the wolf was dead, the bats regained their ability to move, but still stood gaping wordlessly.

"We should go", Saras said, this had not gone as planned, he hadn't even had time to think. _Maybe I'm not really cut out for this kind of thing._ Pushing away his gloomy thoughts he recollected himself and kicked open the front door. He had had quite enough of the Daisui's mansion for a long while.

Just as he stepped out the front door, the bats hobbling in front of him, the mansion erupted into flames, the shock wave sent him flying forwards. He lay on the ground watching blood seep from his thumb, as the flames roared nearer. _This is the Finals all over again._ Then the world went black.

* * *

 _Footnote: And I'm back to writing the Stories of Saras' main arc line, while working back to back on a story I have yet to decide whether it is fanonically correct (in my AU anyways) . So what can you expect to see here ?  
_

 _Well the usual storytelling all OC fic, this time however there is no 'Submit your OC' thing, I think I've done enough of that for a long time. This story takes place after House of Tamod, and this chapter starts right after The Set Up ends, for those of you that didn't know The Set Up is yet another one of my Halloween fics._

 _Anyways, update soon... or else..._


	2. Pinqu Blood

The wind was icy cold as it sent the leaves scattering into the air in a plethora of colour.

Senator Gao sat at the first table outside the inn, under the assumption that it was the least likely to have been tampered with. He valued security. That much was plain obvious. He had been in charge of Pinqu since Constable Ho had... passed away. He knew the people didn't like him much, but there were not many people left in the shabby ghost-town. The sun was setting and Gao had nothing in all the world to worry him.

Or so he thought.

Traid Cell Seventy Seven watched from the their side of the road. Although attention was not on their wish list none of them made any effort to hide themselves. And therefore the trio stood out like a sore thumb. The first member was an elk, casually chewing on an apple. A metal helm covered his face, with holes for his confusing tangle of horns. He wore bright red bandages on his hooves, and a fan of the same red protected the back of his neck. On top of it all he wore a dirty brown robe, a pair of scimitars hidden underneath the filthy cloth. His name was Hong Ze. The next figure was a fox. Her fur, or what was visible of it were all a deep pitch black, the kind that would be almost invisible at night. She wore the garb of a Japanese ninja, but couldn't care less at the odd looks people kept on giving her. Her name was Ji Rou. The third and final member was similarly visible. His whole form was covered in black and white bandages, a black bandana which covered the lower half of his face, and a black rice hat which he wore on his head. The only visible feature he possessed were a pair of bright, shining eyes, which lacked all its parts and stood out like two gold orbs. His name was Naan.

"Like I said guys, leave this to me", the elk said with a full mouth. He stopped, swallowed and finally advanced towards the senator.

"Gao ! My old buddy, my old pal. How's everything been" ? The pig was more than a little surprised as this stranger strolled over to him, pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. "Long time no see, am I right"?

"Do I know you"? Gao asked, completely and utterly befuddled.

"You don't remember me ? I sent you a letter a week ago. About buying the mansion"?

"What mansion" ? The senator spluttered.

Placing a hoof within the murky layers of his robe Hong Ze withdrew an old, stained and dirty scroll, before passing it over the table to the pig. "Maybe this will jog up your memory"?

Opening it with apprehension Gao scanned the contents of the parchment.

"As I'm sure you remember", Hong Ze went on. "I am Ravi Chandra of the East India Trading Union. We believe that to expand our little business empire it would be ideal to purchase something of it's size in these parts. But of course you already remember me telling you this".

"When"? Was all Gao could say.

"You don't remember"? Hong Ze's voice broke into what sounded like a genuinely hurt elk.

Gao's face went as red as a pepper. "Look, either way I can't give you this. It doesn't exist".

"What do you mean it doesn't exist"?

"Boom"!

"Boom"?

"Into thin air".

"Thin air"? Hong Ze glanced uneasily at his comrades, before continuing the conversation. "When"?

"About two days ago, a fox kit somehow managed to get in. The whole thing exploded around him, poor child. But in my opinion it's good riddance,that place was cursed".

Hong Ze was dissapointed, to say the least. "Thank you for your time."

He got up just as a crowd raced across the road screaming. The cause of their shrieks was at once apparent.

The bandit was known to Hong Ze by reputation. Huangse Kongju, the Yellow Terror of Pinqu. The lion was twice the elk's height and girth. His left eye was hidden beneath a headband, which split his main in two where it met. He wore a pair of baggy white pants, and a plated sleeveless vest. His belt was black and armed with a plethora of weapons long and sharp. Across his back stood two long and rather fat katanas. It withdrew an axe and launched it at Gao. The old pig was too slow to dodge it, as the sinister blade buried itself into the swine's skull.

Another axe missed Hong Ze by an inch. Narrowing his eyes he withdrew his scimitars before charging at the feline. Huangse Kongju drew his pair of blades and met the elk mid charge. Hong Ze ducked as the katana sliced at his horns, a piece of it flew through the air and landed on a table. Huangse recieved a strong headbutt as his reward. The feline swung with one blade, Hong Ze parried with both scimitars, before landing a drop kick upon the lion's knee, and following with a roundhouse kick to his head. The Yellow Terror spat out a tooth and rose to his feet. Suddenly a grey cylinder was at his feet. It exploded in a fit of black smoke. Ji Rou slammed into the cat's side, withdrew a needle from her belt and slammed it inbetween the lion's ribs. She had not taken the armour into account however and as a direct result recieved a backhand across her snout. Turning to her the bandit raised his blades and was about to bring it down when Hong Ze slammed his hoof into the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel. Naan dashed into the fight, and swung at the beast's face. Mid-swing his fist was suddenly surrounded by a mass of bone. Huangse was sent sprawling onto his back. The wind blew away the smoke as the triads all stared at the rising feline, the bones that had encrusted Naan's fist receding back under the bandages.

Yet the lion wasn't done yet. Lifting himself up to full height he dashed at his opponents, throwing his katanas at them mid-charge. Ji Rou ducked under one which embedded itself into an apple cart. Hong Ze blocked one with his blades, but Naan recieved the full brunt of the charge as Huangse grabbed him by the waist and raced towards a building, in an attempt to smash him against it. Naan dropped two elbows in quick succession, before raising a knee into the feline's nose, this was not enough to stop him however, as he slammed the triad into a house. Winded, Naan was unable to block the punch that smashed into his face. Letting go of him Huangse watched with satisfaction as he slipped onto the ground. His satisfaction was short lived however when a blade of bone slammed out of Naan's arm and into the feline's unprotected foot. With a shriek of pain Huangse was promptly sent face first into a wall when Hong Ze fly kicked his back. Ji Rou lifted the shaky Naan back to his feet, as once again they waited for their opponent to rise.

This time he merely growled at them, before throwing a flash bomb upon the ground, and vanished.

"Well I guess we should tell the triads the Daissui's mansion is gone up in smoke"? Hong Ze said.

"Yeah", Ji Rou agreed.

The trio walked away as the sky went from violet, to dark blue, to black.

* * *

Huangse Kongju lay against a tree, tightening a bandage around his wounded foot. He would get revenge in time. But right now he had other things to think about. The crimson cloacked figure stood in front of him, holding an outstretched paw that was dripping with blood.

"Are you in, or out"?

A malevolent grin spread across the lion's face as he grabbed the lupine's crimson furred paw in his own.

 _Footnote: Well there's quite a bit to say here._

 _Huangse Kongju literally means Yellow Terror, you may remember him from Mongol Wars, though this story takes place before that one does, so it also serves as an explanation as to why he was working for the mongols in the first place.  
_

 _Naan, Ji Rou and Hong Ze are all OCs from House of Tamod, though they played a very tiny role, if it could even be called that. To jog your memory: Naan fought Lang in the Fourth Task, Ji Rou fought Jiao'ao in the Fourth Task and Hong Ze got punched in the face by Han Guan, also in the Fourth Task._

 _Remember any of them ?_

 _Don't worry they'll play a rather bigger role in this fic, then last time._

 _That's it I guess. Hoped you enjoyed and Update soon._


	3. Banned

_The world was white and full of terror, Saras raced through a maze of faceless statues. Something laughed so loudly it shook the world. Saras ran down one corner and found a door, he pushed it open. Dead Han Guan. He slammed it shut and continued running. Dead Jit Kun. Dead Wugu. Dead Feral Islanders. Dead Tong Fo. Dead Fung. Dead Gahri. He slammed open the final door. Dead Aang._

Saras awoke panting and sweating. He sat up, his eyes meeting the familiar aesthetics of his room. The dim light that pervaded the Bat Cave seeped in and he allowed himself to lay back down. It had just been another nightmare. He had gotten them often in his lifetime, but moreso after his escapade with the House of Tamod. He had seen too much death for anyone his age, it had clearly screwed up his brain.

He dredged his memory as best he could. The last thing he could remember was the Daisui Mansion exploding behind him. He heard a knock at his door and suddenly felt a strange shiver slip down his spine.

Aang entered the room. "And he's awake! Congratulations little bro your latest attempt at suicide blew up behind you". The bat had always been very loose with his allegories. Despite being the older 'brother' Aang was half of Saras' height, and Saras was himself quite short. The Bat Lord was brown furred, brown-eyed and black-robed. The only thing that made up for his plain appearance was the plethora of chains he wore around his neck. "So before you tell me what you were doing on a mission you weren't even supposed to _know_ about, I would like to ask you, what were you doing on a mission you weren't even supposed to _know_ about"!

Saras had literally woken a minute ago, while this might have been enough time for most people to formulate some kind of excuse all the slyness he possessed had seemingly been wiped from his brain. "Well, I was er"-

"Okay let me stop you right there. Little bro, whenever you start a sentence with 'well' you're either having a nervous breakdown or are stalling for time. I know the way you think, please don't act like you can lie to me".

Saras allowed himself to collapse back on his bed. Aang was his brother, but he wouldn't understand everything he had been through. _He will laugh if I tell him it's because of nightmares._ He decided to tell a half lie.

"I'm sick and tired of having nothing to do. All I've done since spring was sit in council sessions and lie in bed. I though I could...help "?

Aang allowed himself to smile. "Look, you suffered... a lot this year. So I thought it would be nice to give you a break. You didn't do too badly with the whole Daisui affair, but I had to get the Imperial Army off our backs, and _that_ was a lot of work. So you can just have your holiday".

Unfortunately for Aang, Saras could also tell when he was lying. "Is there anything else"? He asked innocently.

"Er- yeah. The council, voted you out of the council. Anywho, that's enough time I've taken from you, Doctor Wei will be on her way".

Aang left the room. Saras flopped onto the bed. It was at that time he remembered something Babirasu had told him about the Jit Kun. _I need to prove him wrong. I am not a runt._

* * *

"You know what to do", the feline answered, throwing forwards a bag of coins that jingled. "Consider that the first of many."

The hemomancer grinned. "Don't worry boss, I will. Xueye, with me"!

* * *

 _Fine, a Jit Kun is a weapon, of mass destruction. Before you deny it let me explain. The Jit Kun were nomadic raiders who kidnapped children to raise them with special and dark magical powers which came from the Jit Kun Crystal, in order to make raids easier to carry out. You and I were both taken from our faimilies-_

Saras had interrupted him at that point, but the words had already been said and heard. Saras sighed, he would figure them out when he was out of his bed. Babirasu had left a mark on him, now he really needed to think. Everything he had done was to avenge people who had kidnapped him.

"HI HI!" He jumped a foot in the air at the energetic bunny that had practically shouted in his ear.

 _How did he get in without me noticing ?_

"I'm Doctor Wei and I'm sooooooooo glad you're awake again"!

"I know who you are", Saras grumbled, every time he had come back from one of the Bat Cave's errands he had been treated and made better by Doctor Wei, although frankly the bunny was the most annoying thing about being 'off duty'.

"I'm just reminding you sweety ! A little reminder doesn't ever hurt does it "?

 _No but it ticks me off._

"So how are you feeling"?

"Like I've been through a noodle maker backwards".

"That's good, that's good"!

 _Are you deaf ?_

"Anyways, I just need to check on your scars to make sure they don't get infected ! So the jumper's coming off honey"! She continued, pulling out a massive needle from nowhere.

Knowing from experience that there was no point in resisting, and that he was about to go through something very painful he removed his woolen yellow pullover without another word and bit back a whimper as Doctor Wei set to work on the two round red spots on his underbelly, yet another reminder of the House of Tamod that would stay with him for life.

* * *

 _Footnote: Bit of a short chapter this time, but I have plenty of little references. I'll give you a cookie if you get all of them. :)  
_

 _On another note I was delighted to find out that the Stories of Saras now has a Tv Tropes page, so a thank you to whoever did that, and thank you to anyone who contributes or has contributed._

 _Enjoy and Update soon._


	4. The Forest of Fear

Saras knocked on the door. He took a deep breath. Aang was his brother, right ? He would tell him the truth, right ? I mean why would he lie to him ? _The same reason he's been avoiding you all week._ Saras ignored the voice in his head.

The last week was a blurred memory of dreams and visits. Shan Qu had visited twice. Shou and Pang once each, that had been it. Nothing from Aang. He knocked again.

"Enter", came Aang's voice and Saras pushed open the door, and entered Aang's room. It was plain, painted black, it would have been pitch black but for a single candle that illuminated the room from it's perch on Aang's desk. Behind which sat the Bat Lord himself. Saras sat down. "So, little bro, what brings you here"?

"I have a question", Saras asked innocently.

"Go ahead", Aang continued, unsure of where this was headed.

"You see the Jit Kun. What exactly were they"?

Our family, were the words Saras wanted to hear so badly. But Aang didn't say them. "Look little bro, I think you already know. Back then you weren't old enough to know. I mean, how could I possibly explain. The Jit Kun were a clan that took in children, by force or will"-

Saras had heard enough."'Back then' I was too young to know, but not too young to put my life on the line for them"?

"Kanbu"-

"Shut up"! What am I, if not a Jit Kun ? "I have been swallowed whole, fought monsters and nearly died twenty times over, for what ? A bunch of kidnappers who I never even knew ? And the worst thing is you knew, this whole bloody time you knew but didn't bother to tell me". Saras stood up. Anger pulsed through him like blood. Aang had never cared about him, if he had he would have told him, rather than let him run off and nearly die. Aang had been using him this entire time. Sure he had volunteered for half of it, but only because he thought what he was doing was right, and of course his 'big bro' had never bothered to fill him in with all the details.

"Little bro"- That was the final straw. Saras' temper exploded within him, but he kept himself calm.

"I am not 'little' and I'm not your brother", Saras turned and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him as he bumped into a bewildered Daitui, whose gaze he avoided.

* * *

Daitui strolled into Aang's room. The two stared at each other. The vulture cleared his throat. "Lord Aang". He bowed.

Aang waved away the bow. "Forget all of that, you practically raised me, you don't _have_ to address me as such".

"But you don't mind me doing it". Daitui replied with a chuckle.

Aang grumbled. "What do you want"?

Daitui wore a plain black robe that covered some of his muddy brown feathers. His head was not bald like a vulture's should be, but covered in fluff the same colour as his feathers. His eyes were black all over, and were useless. Daitui was blind, but Aang had always suspected he had a way of seeing things, or at the very least a sixth sense.

"I bring news".

"Is it good"?

"Not exactly".

"Then tell me".

"Your brother returned from Pinqu a week ago. Now Pinqu is destroyed."

"What"?

"The whole place is a ghost-town. Everyone dead, no survivors. The residents corpses have all been found bloodless and hollow." The vulture paused. "In your brother and the bat's mission report there was a creature that wielded blood."

"The reports also said the creature died."

"Reports are written by the confused. I believe this being is still alive. For I have been keeping a track on it's movements. A trail of bloodless corpses have been found leading off from Pinqu, and guess in which direction"?

Aang groaned. "How long do we have until this 'creature' catches up to where we are"?

"Two days, I believe that until further notice we put the base into lockdown."

Aang nodded, finally noting the importance of the situation. "Right, you go do that. I'll go make it up to my brother".

* * *

Aang knocked, but realising that his brother would be in no mood to open the door, instead he chose to wait outside. "Look Kanbu, I know I lied and I'm sorry. But just remember that the reason I do everything I do, is because I care. Okay, everything is for the greater good. And even if I'm not your brother, I still care".

He waited a moment, before deciding that Saras should know if there was a crazy hemomancer on the loose after him. He pushed open the door. When he lay eyes on the room he realized that his brother was not there. _Oh crap._

* * *

Saras obliterated the earth as he kicked at it savagely, imagining Aang's lying face as he did so. _Stupid, evil little bat._ He huffed, deciding that the portrait was good enough for now, he put his paws in his pockets and walked through the woods.

Saras walked through the woods,breathing heavily the whole time. _If not for the Jit Kun I would have been normal, I'd have had friends who weren't criminals of one form or another. I'd actually be a kid._ Saras had been called a kid more times than he could remember, but had never actually felt like one. He had killed people, ruined others and cheated death for the sake of the people who took his life away. A people he had never even known. One that had ruined the lives of countless children and parents. He kicked a rock savagely into a bush. The sun set behind him. It would be getting dark soon. He sighed, why was his life so over-complicated.

He heard a crack of twigs and looked to his left. He caught sight of something that shook him to the very bone. They stared at each other for a second, before recognition set in with a kind of deathly finality.

The Hemomancer threw a bubble of blood at him, Saras dodged it.

"Well, well, well, we meet again". The wolf said.

"Hello to you too", Saras retorted, balling his paws into fists.

The Hemomancer was a wolf, his fur was crimson all over, as was the hooded robe he wore. Behind him stood a shorter figure, dressed in a similar robe, though with him the hood was drawn up and his face was hidden. This figure had what looked like a bar of steel, attached to his back, with a wooden handle. "Xueye, wait here while I attend to some unfinished business".

The bubble of blood came from behind, but Saras teleported away. He stood a bit more to the right now. "I'd love to finish this business with you, but right now I have somewhere else to be"!

Saras turned, teleported a few feet forwards and raced away from the wolf, in the opposite direction of the Bat Cave.

The Hemomancer chased after him, leaving the shorter figure to himself.

Saras turned sharply to the left, using a tree to spin around, but the wolf was quicker than he looked. The Hemomancer launched a bloody chain towards the shapeshifter at interstellar speeds, catching him on the tail. Using this chain the hemomancer suddenly pulled himself towards the shapeshifter, grabbing him by the ear and lifting him into the air.

Saras felt like his ear was going to rip.

"I am going to enjoy running you through with your own"-

"You talk to much", Saras retorted mid-sentence, as his paws shot up and clapped the lupine on both ears, leaving him with a pair of ringing ears. The hemomancer let him go and raced through the treeline, abandoning the scene behind him.

 _He's faster than me, I can't fight him now, which means my only other option is to hide.  
_ He changed direction and slipped silently into a muddy pond. He waited in agony, too scared to draw breat, his body coated in and hidden by the thick layer of mud. He felt a weight press on top of him for a split second as the hemomancer raced straight past him. He waited a bit longer before taking a massive gulp of fresh, breathable air.

He rose, drenched in mud, looking more like a part of the earth than a fox. He knew better than to stay in one place, however and kept walking, in the opposite direction of the wolf. Hopefully the mud would also disguise his scent. He knew there was a road somewhere, and he stalked forwards in his search for it.

* * *

Aang was devastated. Saras was somewhere out there, with a crazy hemomancer he didn't even know was still alive. He was probably still mad at him and now he had no way of returning until the council deemed they could put the base out of lockdown. Aang sighed. _Sorry little bro, I really let you down this time._

* * *

Saras found the road and followed it. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, but didn't dare stop for anything. His eyes dropped and he snapped them open again. _Must stay awake._ He was being hunted. His life depended on him keeping on the move. _Must stay awake_ , he reminded himself. He heard the horse coming towards him, but was too tired to look behind him. He heard approaching hoofsteps, and stopped, and turned around. Coming towards him was a horse dragging a carriage. His ears drooped and he whimpered as he realized he was too tired to get out the way.

The next thing he knew, the world was black.

* * *

 _Footnote: Cliffhanger, DUH DUH DUH.  
_

 _This chapter was really hard to write because it was supposed to depict some emotional drama, I'm not sure how I did with that._

 _Aside from that the plot continues as normal._

 _WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ?_

 _FIND OUT NEXT TIME._

 _I hope you enjoyed._

 _Update soon._


	5. The River on the Road

**A/N: I am kinda brain dead with One Form Too Many, so this story is getting another update. The thing that makes this easier to write is because I already have the entire story written out on a piece of paper, so it's far easier to write this story than the other one.**

Hong Ze sat at a table in a dark room, Ji Rou was on his left and Naan on his right. They were awaiting orders in one of the triad's many safe houses. There was a kind of sullen silence about the table.

"We were in Pinqu a few days ago, everyone was alive and well except their mayor. A few days later the whole town is dead and noone knows what the hell happened. And here we are, waiting for heaven knows what." The elk complained.

"What would you rather do ? Run in there and try and find out who massacred the village"? Naan responded dryly. "Even if we find out who's behind it, it's got nothing to do with us, so why should we get involved"?

"You're saying that the fact that an entire village became a ghost town in two day is no biggie"? Hong Ze demanded.

"I used none off those words", Naan replied.

"You meant them"!

"Did not"!

"Did too"!

"So what if I did ? Like I said before, it's not our problem"!

"It's an issue though"!

"Not for us"!

"Then who's problem is it"?

Naan paused. "I suppose it's China's problem".

"We live in China ! It is our problem"!

"We are not part of China", Naan reminded him. "We are it's shadows, remember that".

Hong Ze scoffed. "Here's what I would do. We find out who's behind this entire thing, and then sell that information to the Imperial Army".

"No", Ji Rou finally broke her silence. "The Imperial Army cannot be trusted with information, besides, for all we know the triads were behind this".

"But we are the triads"!

"No, we are a triad cell, we do what we're told to do. This might be another cell acting under orders, you don't know and I don't know, I say we keep it that way. It's not our job to get involved in something that's got nothing to do with us". Ji Rou stood up and left the room, taking her shadow with her.

Naan sighed. "And that is why she's the cell captain. I don't suppose you know what she was before the triads."

"Well, she must have been a kit once", Hong Ze mused. "But I know as much about her as I know about you. What exactly are you again"?

Naan's eyes were smiling, that much the bandages could not hide. "You know I can't tell you that".

"Aha, secrecy it is. Now if you don't mind I'm going to get some lunch".

* * *

The council consisted of six members on a full day. Today, however, there were only five. Aang sat on the top seat of the long, rectangular table. On his left perched Daitui, the old black vulture. Opposite him sat Shan Qu, a fruit bat clad in grey chainmail with nut brown eyes and brown fur, he was only a representative of his father, who was too ill, and had been too ill to come down from his room for a long time now. Shan Qu himself was not particularly clever, but he was good-natured, albeit a bit too much for someone on the council of a criminal organization, obedient and above all loyal. Those qualities were what made him a good little bat to have on a council. Sitting next to Shan Qu was an empty seat, where Saras would normally sit, but the shapeshifter was not present for this particular council meeting. Opposite the empty chair sat, or rather coiled, Juda. She had not always been with the Bat Cave, but had risen up in the ranks very quickly. She was still a field agent, but her cunning was what kept her on the council. Aang did not trust her fully, but that was understandable. She was a python. Juda's scales were sea green, with diamond patterns of a darker green spread out across her back, her eyes were red slits that never stopped staring. Next to her hanging upside down on his perch like a normal bat was Xiao Xue. His fur was snow white and pristine, he wore a black cloack that draped over his large body. He was big for a bat, and an albino, with small beady red eyes. He had been on the council since before Aang was lord and the young bat had not had the heart to send the old man away. His last fielding had been Saras' first and the two had hated each other ever since.

Presently they were all talking at once. Aang heard snatches of conversation.

"He's a better man than you Xiao, if you had been through half the things he has then you might be a bit more considerate, before you suggest sending a hit man"! Shan Qu was yelling at the older and much larger albino.

"A better man than me, really ? I wasn't even sure he was a man". Xiao Xue responded looking down upon the fruit bat like he was some sort of meal.

Shan Qu glared daggers at him, but before he could say anything else Daitui cut him off.

"Sending a bounty hunter after Kanbujian would be highly counter-productive. Firstly it would be expensive, and success isn't guaranteed. I trained him myself, I have full confidence he knows how to fend off someone who's after him".

Juda eyed the vulture. "I'm not sure we need a bounty hunter, I could bring the kit in easily".

"Don't bet on it"! Shan Qu snapped at the python.

"He knows you", Daitui reminded her.

"And I know him", Juda responded.

"You can't leave", Aang interjected himself into the conversation. "The base is still on lockdown".

That brought that argument to an end.

* * *

Jiao'ao eyed the sleeping fox with confusion and befuddlement. He was still coated in a dense layer of mud, though fortunately it had now dried. He had a set of unclean bandages wrapped around the top of his head where the horse' hoof had connected with his head. Presently he was lying on his belly, a goofy grin spread over his sleeping face, his feet stretched out with his tail curled around them, and his arms lying limp by his side. He wore a dirty green cloak and an old woolen yellow jumper along with a set of blue pants, his attire had not changed one bit since the last time the peacock lay eyes on him. The young kit lay on the seats opposite Jiao'ao, bumping up and down along with the movement of the cart. Jiao'ao sighed. The fox had a _lot_ of explaining to do when he woke up.

* * *

The world of Saras' dreams were white and full of happiness, for once. Unfortunately the cart bumped up on the road and he ended up flopping in the seat, before falling back onto the bed he had been lying on. This sudden movement stirred him away from his land of dreams.

His eyes opened up, and he sat up suddenly. His head was dizzy and felt empty. Then he noted Jiao'ao.

The peacock was unchanged. Jiao'ao's beak and talons were yellow. His feathers were a dark green all over, save for his wings and his tail, which were spotted green, yellow and blue. He wore a light blue robe that matched his eyes. Next to him stood the massive sword he had used so well in The House of Tamod.

Saras was overjoyed. He wrapped the peacock in a sudden hug around the neck, his tail wagging like an overexcited puppy. "Jiao'ao ! It's been so long and and and", he found that he could not express his joy in words. "Thank you", he murmured,still wrapped around his friend's neck.

Jiao'ao smiled despite himself. He gently patted the kit's back, before pushing him off of him. The avian paused for a second. He could go on full interrogation mode...but he couldn't bring himself to make that tail stop wagging. He sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

"So, where are we going"? The shapeshifter asked cheerfully.

* * *

 _Footnote: This is another character that you may or may not remember. Jiao'ao, my OC from House of Tamod, is back. This story is going to have a lot of those moments now that I think about it. Juda is another forgotten OC from the Five, she was the main villain. Shan Qu is of course from One Form Too Many and Xiao Xue is new. Xiao Xue means Little Snow, which fits the albino quite well. Juda means 'huge'. Jiao'ao means 'proud'. And Shan Qu means 'mountain'. Daitui is also kinda new, but he's been mentioned before. His name means 'gangster'.  
_

 _Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter._

 _Update soon._


	6. The Imperial City

**A/N: Still with no inspiration on One Form Too Many, sigh, well this is about as good I guess. Enjoy.**

The Imperial City was truly gigantic. As China's capital it was obviously going to be a 'big' city, but before now Saras had underestimated how 'big' it could get. It was built on flatland, with smaller towns and villages lying within view of the walls. The walls were so tall Saras craned his neck just to see the top of it, they were the same colour as the Great Wall, a kind of brownish yellow, and surrounded the city like a great big blanket. The Imperial City had eight gates, one for each corner of the compass, but when you got in the city things were far odder. There were the usual one story houses, built around the wall, Saras guessed they were for the guards and their families, but the further on in the city you went the taller the buildings got. Saras had never seen more mansions, pagodas or towers in his entire life. The Tower of Sacred Flame in Gongmen looked minuscule compared to half the things he saw here. The paths of the city were lined with grey cobblestones. The towers were exotic reds and yellows, with a few darker ones. Cutting a path through the center of the capital was a massive street, one Jiao'ao reffered to as the Highway, and it lead right to the Forbidden City. The walls of the Emperor's City within a City were smaller, but no less imposing, they were black, but had strips of red coating it, and towers and parapets peeped out from behind them.

Saras was like a puppy, his eyes wide, his tail wagging. "Let me guess, it's your first time here"? The peacock asked him.

"Uh, yeah, it's not often that I visit my family", Saras replied. The shapeshifter had told Jiao'ao a half truth, something had happened with his family and he had to go back to them, and of course it just so happened that they were in the Imperial City. This was all true, except that he had left his family behind, but that was necessary to loose the hemomancer. Now all he had to do was find someone from the Bat Cave and send a message to Aang explaining everything, his anger wasn't entirely forgotten, but right now he needed his brother.

Jiao'ao nodded. The peacock had explained that his father, who was Lord of the province of Hunan, was ill and at risk of dying, so he had called Jiao'ao from their family home in Hunan to the Imperial City, to become his legitimate heir.

Saying goodbye somewhat crushed Saras' joyful mood.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, again", Jiao'ao started, just outside the gates of the Forbidden City.

"Yeah, you too." Saras muttered awkwardly.

"Well, I better be going. I live in there", he pointed at the Forbidden City. "So if you ever need anything, don't try sneaking in, and you can come and give me a call.

Saras nodded, they shook appendages, and turned their backs on each other. Saras sighed heavily. He had said 'goodbye' to a lot of people, and he had yet to say 'hello again' to anyone. Anyways, he had had his fun, now it was time to go home.

* * *

Hong Ze sighed as he stared at all the pictures his cell had. They really did go way back. He placed both scimitars in his robe and stared at the picture of the younger him, and Naan, who looked exactly the same as before aside from his height, and Ji Rou, who was blushing shyly from behind her clothes of black. He sighed again and left the room.

 _The triads operated in complete secrecy. They worked in groups called cells, teams of three that carried out their orders. But to become part of a cell you had to show that you were ready. You had to fight another wannabee triad, to the death._

 _Hong Ze was thirteen. Young, headstrong and overconfident in his own abilities. He was brought, blindfolded, to an arena of darkness, where the moon illuminated only a small circle of white, the colour of death. Another child of similar age was brought, blindfolded, to the arena._

 _The two stared at each other. Hong Ze's brown robes swayed in the wind, his frill of bright red, his mask of metal and his scimitars all glinting in the moonlight. Naan wore black and white bandages all over, with a dark rice hat on his head. The only thing his attire let out were two eyes that shone golden. The two knew what had to be done.  
_

 _"You must be ugly", Hong Ze drawled, after all, why else would someone hide behind his garments._

 _"Not as ugly as you're about to be", came Naan's voice, soft, tender, but with a note of harshness._

 _"You haven't even hit puberty, how do you think you're going to hit me"?_

 _"I'm not going to hit you. I'm going to make your face look like a bowl of last weeks' tofu."_

 _The two entered their respective stances. They stared at each other, searching for a weakness._

 _"Nice swords", Naan started. Two blades of bone slid out from his arms._

 _"Nice, er, bones", Hong Ze was only a little freaked out by what he had just seen._

 _Naan made the first move. He dashed forwards, his blades swinging in from both sides, Hong Ze parried with his scimitars, but countered with a headbutt to the chest. His horns and the force applied were enough to push Naan back a few feet, but the boy never stopped coming. Naan jabbed, Hong Ze parried, but the bandaged being saw that one coming and spun around to land an elbow to the elk's face, knocking Hong Ze back a few feet. The two both waited for the next move to be made. Hong Ze recklessly threw one of his scimitars at Naan, who sidestepped it. He was unable, however to avoid the incoming elk that barged into his side, Naan however drew back his bones and grabbed the elk around the head, pulling him down with him. The two wrestled on the floor, until Naan managed to elbow the elk in the same place as before. Hong Ze pushed him down and rose to his feet, retrieving his scimitar, until he realized that Naan held his other one._

 _"Pfft, you don't even know how to use that thing"!_

 _"Watch me"._

 _Hong Ze spun the blade around in a complicated series of maneuvers, which Naan copied to the very smallest swipe._

 _"How are you doing that"!?_

 _"The same way you are", the boy was laughing now, Hong Ze could tell from his eyes._

 _A voice halted them. "It would be a shame to loose either of you, take them to the hall, to meet with the other victor."_

 _The two stopped fighting almost immediately, and were once again blindfolded._

 _The blindfolds were removed and the two were left in a room with another being._

Hong Ze sighed and closed the door behind him. He was going to do what had to be done.

* * *

 _Footnote: And that's it for now folks, don't worry we'll be seeing a lot more of the Cell Flashbacks._

 _And the Imperial City is finally introduced. Seeing as it's the capital of china it seems fitting that the majority of the story takes place their._

 _Enjoy and Update soon._


	7. The Rat on the Road

**A/N: I really don't have to mention my lack of inspiration, regarding One Form Too Many, again, do I ? Anyways Enjoy.**

Saras woke up to the sound of shouting. He ducked as an Erhu and it's bow flew past his head, clattering against the wall behind him. He yawned, the shouting coming to an end. Rubbing his tired eyes he rose to his feet. He had had no luck in finding anyone of the Bat Cave the other day, and had had even less luck finding a proper place to sleep in. He had ended up curling in an alleyway. His stomach grumbled quietly, as if complaining to itself. He scowled, now he had another thing he had to find - food. He yawned again and picking up the spiked fiddle made his way towards the Market Square.

* * *

Aang's morning begun slightly differently. He had just made sure to put the entire base off of lock down, when he had been called in by a very queasy-looking Shan Qu.

Aang understood why the fruit bat had been so close to vomiting. The scene of murder was very grizzly. A bat was hanging from a noose, with multiple tiny spines cutting into the soft flesh of his neck, blood oozed from the wound. The bat's face was pale, but screaming, his eyes fixed forever in eternal horror. Xiao Xue was surveying the scene emotionlessly. Juda was trying to comfort the shaken Shan Qu and Daitui was blind so arguably he couldn't see anything. Aang closed the dead bat's eyes and stared.

"Who did this"? His voice came hollow and empty.

Xiao Xue coughed. Daitui avoided his gaze. Shan Qu looked like he was trying to form words but his mouth was failing him, Juda looked right at him. "We don't know. The cause of death was suffocation, it could be from the noose, but I doubt that, from what I can see of his throat it looks like his neck was crushed, rather than just choked. The killer was strong, and clever enough to cover their tracks. Or try to anyways."

Aang nodded. "Any ideas"?

Juda shrugged as best she could, despite the fact that she lacked limbs. "I could have done something like that, it's not too hard to crush someone's throat. The question is who would have a reason"?

Aang nodded again. "Who was he"?

This time Daitui answered. "He was Shan Qu's cousin. A field agent, his last mission was with Pinqu. He served the Bat Cave his whole life. A good agent and loyal."

Aang sighed. "Why does it always come back to Pinqu ? Well, any ideas"?

Juda and Xiao Xue shared a look. Xiao Xue answered. "We believe it was your brother".

"Bullshit"! Came Shan Qu's voice. Daitui held back the fruit bat, who looked like he was going to strangle Xiao Xue, who bare them both no mind.

"He went to Pinqu with him. A week later the town dies, then he goes missing and now he's dead. It's all connected, somehow."

Juda spoke next. "Maybe he didn't want any of this to happen, but we believe it's somehow his fault."

Aang stared at the wall for what felt like a long time. He had always had faith in his brother, but their were things the shapeshifter would never tell him. When Saras had returned from his first mission he had brought the Bei gem with him, but had never explained how he had gotten it. He was mortally afraid of getting blood into his mouth, and the fox refused to say what had happened last spring, during the Kung Fu tournament. The House of Tamod. And now Badr Tamod was dead, assassinated by Gutou Daisui. Had Saras had something to do with that as well ? Aang sighed. _Everyone is an enemy. Even those you love._ Aang turned back to his council and nodded.

"Shan Qu, go to your quarters, you need rest. This bat and my brother are like family to you, you can't get involved."

"But"-

"No buts. That's an order."

Shan Qu brushed off Daitui's wing and barged past Xiao Xue as he exited the scene.

"Juda, Daitui, just do what you're normally doing. Business as usual, make sure this news doesn't spread".

The two nodded and left. Xiao Xue looked expressionlessly at Aang. "And me my lord"?

"I think it's time you went back into the field. You've seen my brother in action, you know how he works. I want you to bring him in". _Alive._

Xiao Xue nodded. "I must admit, I was hoping you'd pick me". The albino flew off to get ready, leaving Aang only a little worried.

* * *

The Imperial City got busy pretty quickly. Saras had only reached the Market Square and yet business was up like wildfire. He felt his stomach grumble impatiently, and ignored it. He needed money, and thankfully knew how to make it. In his hurry he accidentally bumped into a wolf.

"Sorry", he said, but was suddenly twisted around, to get a nice look at the lupine's sharp yellow teeth.

"Watch where you're going, prick"!

Saras narrowed his eyes, he could smell the alcohol on his breath. His arm moved quickly and slapped the paw holding him by the collar. The wolf pulled it back sharply, shaking it to remove the stinging feeling. "Watch who you're calling 'prick'". Satisfied Saras turned and walked away, dragging the Erhu and it's bow in one paw.

The wolf coughed violently and walked off in the opposite direction.

* * *

His target stood out like a sore thumb. Rich, aristocratic and dressed in fine blue robes. He ran up to the pig, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Can you please hold this"? His eyes became the very picture of innocent sweetness. The pig sighed.

"Very well".

Saras ran off, into an alleyway. He transformed into a mole and strolled out. His eyes widened at the sight of the erhu. "Oh, my gosh ! No way !", his voice was higher than before and if anything annoying."Is that the Chang Erhu ? The one-of-a-kind state of the art fiddle of the dynasty ! Where did you get that ! I'll pay you a fortune for it"!

Several passer-bys turned their heads from the loud high-pitched voice that was practically shouting into the poor pig's ear. "It's not mine", the pig managed to say. Saras the Mole's face became the picture of disappointment, before perking up. "Tell whoever owns it to meet me in front of the Forbidden City within the hour, I'll pay them one thousand yuan, on the spot"!

The pig nodded and the mole happily skipped into the crowd. Saras teleported back into the alleyway, before strolling confidently back towards the pig. The blue robed mammal was about to hand him the erhu, but hesitated. "I was wondering whether you'd allow me to buy this old thing from you. I'm a collector and I just happen to miss this old thing". Saras' face became the picture of confusion. The pig hurried onward. "I'll pay you fifty yuan, how does that sound"?

"That's fair"! Saras said, his tail wagging joyfully as his face broke into a grin. The pig handed him the coins and Saras skipped back into the crowd. _What a sucker._

* * *

"He's gone. Nowhere in the area, not in Pinqu, not in the woods." Ji Rou slammed the door shut behind her. She had been scouting the entire area since daybreak. "How could he have been so stupid ?"

"He's Hong Ze, what did you expect"? Came Naan's reply, as he threw a bag packed with supplies at her chest.

"What's this for"?

"We're going after him. He hasn't left a trail, but I have a good idea where he's headed."

"And where, pray tell, would that be"? Asked Ji Rou, paws on her hips.

"Imperial City. I did a bit of research on Huangse Kongju. Apparently the old lion's become part of some occultist group known as the Drops. Their headquarters are in the Imperial City, if Hong Ze wanted to find him, he'd be heading there."

"How do you know this"? Came Ji Rou's response, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Naan smiled. "I discussed the idea with him beforehand, so I'm guessing I'm right. Coming"?

"You bet".

* * *

Saras slurped the steaming hot soup pleasurably. He was a little surprised when a minute rat skipped over to him. His fur was light grey all over. His eyes were bright, light blue. He wore a sleeveless vest of red and pants of the same colour. His tail was scaly and bright pink. The rat grinned.

"Daitui trained you"?

Saras slurped up too much soup in one gulp. "Yes, I mean no. Er, maybe".

The rat laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not an enemy. I grew up with him. You're with the Bat Cave ? You know Juda"?

"She's... creepy." Saras replied, somewhat honestly.

Jixiao laughed again. "She's my ex-wife, I know what you mean. So Daitui trained you"?

"Yeah".

"You're the shapeshifter"!

Saras' eyes widened. "How do you know"?

"Daitui told me, like I said I grew up with him."

"You're his friend then, so could you send him a letter. I'm kind of...lost".

Jixiao laughed so hard he fell off his chair. "Oh what it is to be young and have no brain".

* * *

The Hemomancer strolled through the Imperial City. His apprentice following close behind him. The pair of them hid under their crimson hoods.

"Remember Xueye, we have to buy the Tumeric, the Asefatida and Garam Masala, they help grant the subject more... shall we say flavour"?

A wolf barged past him. "Watch where you're going ya bloody wanker"!

The Hemomancer caught the back of the lupine's neck in his vice-like grip, and brought the neck backwards, snapping it. The wolf with yellow teeth crumpled upon the ground. "Xueye you go ahead. I know how you hate to watch me feed." The apprentice hurriedly scampered off, whilst the crimson wolf bared his teeth on the dead wolf.

* * *

 _Footnote: Well hello, hello.  
_

 _An Erhu is a Chinese two stringed violin, the bow that was mentioned in connection with it is the thing you use to play a violin with, it's the stick thing._

 _Jixiao I think is the last character that's going to be a 'did you remember him' thing. He was also from the Five, where he was the main-ish villain, aside from his wife who is the lovely Juda. His name literally translates to 'tiny'._

 _Enjoy and Update soon._


	8. The Fox in Crimson

**A/N: Merry Christmas ! Happy Hauneka ! Happy Holidays ! Well, with those celebrations out the way...**

Jixiao lived on the bottom floor of a pagoda. The whole building was circular. When Saras opened the door the first thing that came to vision was a long chain of winding staircases that took off and lead one to all the many, many floors. Jixiao led the fox behind the staircase, a door was built into the wall there. Jixiao pushed it open and allowed the fox to walk inside. The house was a mess. It wasn't big. In fact it wasn't even a house. It was one room.

There was a large couch in the center of the room, with a large table placed in front of it. A bed was pushed into one corner. While the other held a stove and fireplace. Several kitchen knives were scattered across the table, along with a huge pile of scrolls and heaps of quills, scattered around a large fat jar of ink.

"Welcome to the House of Jixiao". The rat said grandly. "Make yourself at home".

Saras entered, the door shutting behind him automatically. He shivered despite himself. Jixiao noticed from the corner of his eyes.

"Are you cold ? Grab a blanket from the bed, I'll fix us some tea. Then we can get along with writing you a letter".

Saras gratefully did so, wrapped around in a blanket, and plopping down happily on the couch. However he couldn't help feeling a bit suspicious. Why was Jixiao, a complete stranger, being so friendly.

Jixiao was indeed being overly kind, but a cup of tea letter, and a hand-written beautiful letter, before being tucked into bed- well the couch, and drifting off to dreams that were for once not full of dead bodies, and Saras' suspicions vanished.

Jixiao sighed. The fox was naive for trusting him so quickly. The rat felt a strange nostalgia creep over him whenever he looked at the kit. He was still a kid, but somehow so much older than he should be. Although he had tried and failed to hide them, Jixiao could see the scars. Two horrible ugly round cuts of dark red, on his belly. _Something horrible has happened to that poor child._ Jixiao sighed, the fox brought back a _lot_ of memories, some pleasant, some sweet, all from a century ago. He sighed again and tucked himself into bed. It was not his job to question people on their hidden parts, he knew how painful that was. He knew that their was a reason it was kept hidden.

* * *

The crisp autumn air that flapped through the woods and made the trees shiver in their nakedness. Xiao Xue strolled casually through the forest, under his billowing black cloack his blades clinked as they bounced together. He whistled a quiet tune, making the darkening forest seem all the more eerie. He already had a good idea where to start his search. He had seen Saras in action and the fox was oh so very _predictable_. He would find him and bring him back, but Aang had never said in how many pieces. He was going to pay him back in kind for what had happened in Korea. A grin spread across his narrow, white muzzle. Revenge was sweet.

* * *

While Xueye visited the shops to do his master's bidding, the hemomancer was having a little bit of fun. The wolf was already dead, but his blood was hot as it rushed past the hemomancer's lips and down his throat. The hemomancer shook from the ecstasy, the lupine's memories flooded his mind. He didn't care about them and continued licking up the blood as it poured out to greet him. He hadn't always been so darn vampiric, that had been Chang Shuimian's experiments, but it was kind of worth it. He couldn't have normal food and had to live off of others like some moldy mushroom, but it was incredibly entertaining, the power, the pleasure that came from feeding. All of it was so wonderful.

Of course Xueye had been luckier. He had been given a more studied version of the potion, one that gave him all the same strengths as the hemomancer, but without the bloody side effect. His apprentice was loyal to him and they were as close as family, but he knew Xueye was disgusted by him. The Hemomancer grinned. That was another bonus. He remembered all the times he had tortured the young fox, back when he had been only a kit. He had made Xueye watch him feed. If he had had a yuan for all the times he had thrown up he would be the richest wolf alive.

A memory came from the wolf.

One that made the hemomancer stop.

 _A kit bumped into a wolf._

 _"Sorry", he said, but was suddenly twisted around, to get a nice look at the lupine's sharp yellow teeth._

 _"Watch where you're going, prick"!_

 _The kit narrowed his eyes. His arm moved quickly and slapped the paw holding him by the collar. The wolf pulled it back sharply, shaking it to remove the stinging feeling. "Watch who you're calling 'prick'". Satisfied the kit turned and walked away, dragging the Erhu and it's bow in one paw._

 _The wolf coughed violently and walked off in the opposite direction._

The Hemomancer gasped as realization struck him right across the face. "He's in the city"!

* * *

Jiao'ao sighed as he looked out the window, removing his unneeded robes.

He understood the need for pomp and showing off. But he would never understand why pomp or pimp had to weigh so much. He was exhausted. It had been a long day. He had had private lessons on ruling and politics and diplomacy before and after breakfast. He had then been allowed to visit the library, where he claimed he spent the day reading, while secretly practicing Kung Fu with his family's great sword. Whenever someone walked in he would stumble for a few seconds before coming up with some sort of weird excuse as to why he was reading while standing up. He had been doing this since the age of ten, and consequently everyone in the Forbidden City worried about his mental health. Then he had had lunch with some other Lords of the Province and his father, who he let do all the talking whilst he ate as quickly as he could, whilst still looking regal. Then in the afternoon he had had more lessons before and after dinner, on the nature and history of treaties and sanctions and other boring stuff like that. He had then been allowed to retire to his chambers for the night.

He flopped onto his bed and sighed again. He couldn't wait for Lady Mei Ling to arrive. What with her wedding on the way, his father would understand him missing lessons to spend time with her. 'Practicing'.

They had been best friends since as long as he could remember. Indeed they would probably have ended up married if their species were inter-mate-able. But he was a bird and she was a mammal. Things didn't work like that. Although he had seen a few odd couples... then again it would probably be possible for them to do it, but children wouldn't come from it would they ? He sighed. He had had a crush on her since he was ten, and even though he knew things couldn't work out like that, his mind had of course decided to keep some embarrassing thoughts, for blackmail purposes of course.

* * *

 _One Week Later..._

* * *

Hong Ze spied the Imperial City from the very top of the walls. He had snuck in of course, just to make sure he wasn't out of practice, and make sure that Huangse Kongju had no idea what was going to hit him. Now for the hard part. How was he supposed to find the lion in this city that was so full of people. He sighed and decided to get to work. Which brought in another question. How was he supposed to get down ?

* * *

Xiao Xue had no luck finding the fox. The Imperial City was bigger than he had remembered, then again it had been a long time. And things had changed. Streets were built where he didn't know them and houses seemed to have dissipated into the dregs of his memory. He sighed. He had scoured every inn, tavern, hotel, restaurant, you name it, from top to bottom and had found no trace of the shapeshifter or any of his forms. He was hanging upside down from an overhanging sign when he caught sight of something that made his grin come back. A fox, dressed in a crimson cloack, that was the spitting image of his target. He pulled out a miniature crossbow from his robes. _Showtime_.

* * *

Saras watched the water bubble inside the pot. He hated having to be patient, even though he understood it's importance. He had already been waiting ten minutes for the water to come to a boil, like how long did it take for water to boil.

But that wasn't why he was angry.

Saras stared at the pot. He had already been waiting a week for Aang to show up, or for some sort of reply to arrive. Like, how long did post delivery take ? _Unless he doesn't care about you_. Came the nagging voice that lived in the back of his head. "Shut up", he said aloud, before face-palming. Impatience was driving him insane. He sighed. But he had to consider all the angles, right ? What if noone was coming for him ? What if he maybe, just maybe wasn't ever going to see his brother again. His stomach twisted violently, he rubbed at his scars soothingly. That was too much to bare. His whole life had been dedicated to the Bat Cave, surely they wouldn't abandon him all of a sudden.

 _Knock. Knock._

He spun around, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Then the entire door flew off it's hinges and cart-wheeled into the wall next to him, exploding into a thousand wooden fragments. Saras gulped audibly as the Hemomancer strolled in, followed by a wolf he vaguely recognized.

"Hello, shapeshifter. It's been far too long since the last time I saw you. I do hope you let me catch up". Saras scanned the room for any possible escape routes. The door. A window that was several feet higher up than him. And that was it. The door was a no-no, since the Hemomancer was positioned directly in front of it. The window was higher up.

He would have teleported outside the building entirely, but for him to teleport he had to focus on something he could see. And right now, he couldn't see outside. The wolf edged slowly towards him, the hemomancer stayed where he was. "I think you have already met our lupine friend. Shall we call him 'Prick'?"

The wolf pounced, but Saras was ready. He grabbed the pot and threw it's boiling contents right at the wolf's face.

To no avail whatsoever. The wolf landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground as it searched eagerly for his throat. Luckily Saras had caught the wolf's muzzle in the pot, which prevented him from an early death. He teleported next to the wolf and slammed a foot into his neck, his Talon Claws tightened around the lupine's neck, blood oozed from the wound but the wolf seemed like he couldn't care less, as he pushed away the pot and twisted his head in an impossible angle, to grab the fox's foot firmly in his jaws, before clamping hard.

It wasn't hard enough to snap bone. But it was torture. Saras lashed out with two clawed paws, which caught the wolf on the sides of his head. The lupine didn't let go, but pushed forwards instead, pushing the shapeshifter onto his back.

"As you can see, our dear Prick can't feel anything. All he wants is your blood." The Hemomancer reported casually from the other side of the room.

The wolf pinned Saras with one paw, before letting go of the shapeshifter's leg, which dropped painfully onto the ground, and surrounded itself in a small pool of blood. The lupine received two long bloody gashes along the paw that pinned Saras, but didn't make any other kind of action or movement. It took a step forwards, winding the fox from all the weight that lay on his chest. It's jaws opened wide, and then suddenly he froze.

The hemomancer casually walked over and lifted up the blood that lay around Saras' wounded foot, and let it lie in a small, metal phial. "I'll just leave you with our friend for a few seconds. Have fun", he cooed, before exiting. The wolf snapped it's jaws shut.

* * *

The fox made his final, fatal mistake when he turned the alleyway. Xiao Xue followed, as silent as the grave, before releasing a bolt. It struck through the cloack and blood poured from the wound. The fox staggered from the sudden pain, and fell onto one knee. Another bolt flew into his back as Xiao Xue looked on smugly.

"Saras, Kanbujian, Kanbu, Shifty. Alas he did not make it out alive. He was wounded when I found him. Bleeding all over. And then the bandits came. I fought them off, but they were too many and I never saw that bolt coming." The albino practiced. "I hope you can hear me. It's Xiao Xue, by the way. And this is for Korea."

Then to his amazement the fox stood up. The cloack fell off, and became a pool of crimson fabric. The vulpine turned around. And straight away Xiao Xue could see that he had made a mistake. The fox wore no shirt. On the top of his head he wore a thin helm, with a single red droplet of blood painted on top of it. His pants were plain, and matched the colour of his fur. Which was the same shade of crimson as blood. The crimson fox pulled out the bolts, and threw them aside, before drawing a bar of metal, connected with a wooden handle.

"My name's Xueye. And you're going to be in a lot of pain."

* * *

Saras was in agony, his paw was stuck inside the wolf's maw, the lupine biting down hard upon it. A small trickle of blood poured out of the wolf's mouth and down Saras' bleeding arm. Saras gulped. And licked it. It was time to change tactics.

His eyes bulged slightly, his hackles raised and his throat erupted into a feral snarl. He bit down hard onto the wolf's nose, before shaking his whole head from side to side. The part came off, and the vulpine spat it out. The wolf stopped biting Saras' arm after that, blood flowing from his lost nose. For the shapeshifter, instinct took over. He pounced, the wolf was too slow to react, and soon found the furious little mammal pulling at his ear. The wolf turned around and bit Saras across the back, but the fox lashed out with a slash that went straight down the puppet's eye. Both let go of each other and retreated a few steps back. A few seconds of panting later and they charged once again. Saras slipped on the blood ridden floor, and collapsed hard on his back. The wolf also slipped, but didn't miss, his jaws closing around the shapeshifter's soft belly. Saras howled in pain, before slamming his own jaws shut around the wolf's windpipe. It came off easily, only because the wolf had already been dead for a week. The second it's throat flopped out, pressure left it's jaws and it lay down on it's side, as dead as dead could be.

Saras returned to his normal state. Where pain made him get on his feet. He was bleeding heavily, and the wolf had somehow reopened both scars. He panted and caught himself against the wall. He had to leave,before the hemomancer returned. Staggering out the door he felt more pain than ever in his entire life.

* * *

Xiao Xue ducked as the bar of metal slammed into the wall, scattering dust into the air. He was unable to avoid the ball of blood that knocked him backwards, into the opposite wall. He landed heavily, but got to his feet quickly. He reloaded the crossbow quickly. The fox threw another ball of blood, which he ducked under. Xiao Xue then rolled towards him, and shot him point blank in the throat.

This only served to piss him off further as the fox slashed the side of his face clean open, creating a vivid effect against the white of his fur. Xiao Xue headbutted him in the chest. That seemed to serve a purpose. He next slammed the entire crossbow into the fox's face. The vulpine staggered briefly, before turning around with a powerful swing of his metal bar thing. Xiao Xue stepped back and sucked in his belly, allowing the weapon to sail past him harmlessly. Xueye lost his balance and slipped a little. That was all Xiao Xue needed. He barreled into the fox's side, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Xueye countered with a ball of blood, one that wrapped itself around Xiao Xue.

It was drowning. But so much worse. He was drowning in blood, and couldn't move. He thrashed about in the air, he was floating. He was a being trapped inside a floating ball of blood. That was a first. Xueye swung with his bat, this time he didn't miss. Xiao Xue slammed into the wall with enough force to knock him down. If he had been younger he would have laughed, and continued fighting. Now his old bones rattled as he coughed crimson water from his mouth. He was going to die, of that he was certain.

Xueye was certain of it as well, he let his blood well up on his paw, forming his final ball of it. He was about to launch it when someone dressed in black caught his paw. "No. Let me speak to him first", the figure hissed.

Xueye let the blood flow back into his body, and dropped his arm. The figure approached malevolently.

* * *

Hong Ze turned a corner and gasped. He blinked rapidly. Of all the things you could find. A kit was sitting in a corner, a paw placed on his belly, as his yellow jumper turned the colour of blood and the crimson liquid oozed out from under it.

The elk shrieked and ran forwards. His instincts came into play. He had to stop the bleeding.

The last thing Saras saw was an elk racing towards him, then he lost consciousness.

* * *

The sky was dark when Jixiao returned home. He expected to find his guest lying asleep on the couch, and would have tickled him awake to watch the stars, when he realized, after stepping in through the thresh-hold, that his door was gone, and a copious amount of wood was lying around the room. Signs of struggle were evident everywhere. A pool of blood, a pot lying unattended across the floor. The air was cold, which meant the fire had been out for some time. Then he lay eyes on the dead wolf lying on it's side and he retched.

 _Something really, really bad happened_. Was the only thing his mind could process.

* * *

 _Footnote: And the action continues.  
_

 _Xueye means blood. You may remember him from a few cameos. He had one in the end of Mongol Wars and one in VoreLover360's Shapeshifter Battle Royale. But for a kind of major OC he has been somewhat in the shadows up until now._

 _Anyways again, Merry Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus ! Update soon._


	9. Triad Training

The blood poured out like water from a fountain. Hong Ze had seen more, but only on dead people. How the fox was still alive was a wonder in itself. The elk hesitated for a split second, ripping off a part of his robe to stem the blood flow, he pushed against the wounds, wrapping the brown cloth around the vulpine's belly. Somehow, somewhere in him something was telling him that there was no way he could let the fox die. Having stopped the blood as best he could he grabbed the kit gently by the knees, lifting him and slinging him over his shoulder. He raced through the crowded city, hoping that the fox's blood wasn't too obvious, because he knew that this looked really bad. He had been in the Imperial City before, and he knew things had changed, but he knew that there were parts of a city that would never change. He raced across the city, arriving at an old, broken down and abandoned tower. He kicked the door open and lowered the fox onto the ground, before pulling a lever, which was hidden inside a cupboard.

The floor beneath him fell. The air rushed past as Hong Ze felt his stomach fly upwards. The fox was still out cold. _Lucky bastard._ The floor came to a halt, thankfully not a sudden one, and Hong Ze picked up the fox and raced down a black chamber. He heard water running but ignored it.

He had reached the Undercity. Long, long ago it was built by the First Emporor, the Golden One. But over time, as the people needed more space to live, the Yellow Emperor created a huge land slide, burying the Old City and allowing the people to build a new one.

Evidently he hadn't done a good job, as some part of it were still accessible. It was pitch black, but Hong Ze knew the paths well. He arrived at the safe house three minutes after getting off the lift. He kicked down that door, and promptly went inside, gently dropping the kit onto an old bed that hadn't been slept on in a long time. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noted that the fox still had a pulse going. He lit up the room with one candle, and illumination finally gave him the curiosity he needed to wonder.

There was something familiar about this fox, like they had met before. Then there was his face, it somehow reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't put a hoof on it. He removed the soiled brown bit of robe he had used to save the kit, and replaced it with a fresh bandage, steralyzed by alchohol. He wrapped it around the kid's belly and then left him to the fates.

He had just stepped outside the room when he saw Naan's glowing yellow eyes sticking out from the darkness. "Naan. Wow it sure is nice to see you"-

He hadn't spotted Ji Rou, but that was forgivable, she was as black as the Undercity was. She twisted his arm behind his back, making him yelp in surprise and pain. "Hey, what gives"!?

"Maybe the fact that you left us without any note, word or goodbye. I don't know who you think you are, but I am going to have to report you to the rest of the triads".

"Okay, I'm sorry, but don't worry, I have a solution. Everyone likes money, right"?

"What are you talking about"? Asked Naan, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're not going to try and rob a bank again, are you"?

"Uh, no I was thinking of something bigger", then he remembered that, horrible, horrible, memory. "And no. Never again"!

Ji Rou let go of him. "What are you planning then"?

* * *

Daitui sorted through the letters, sniffing each in turn. He was blind, but not entirely useless. He only stopped when he got the scent of rat, mint tea and wet dog. A very familiar wet dog. "Where did this come from"? Daitui asked the mailman.

"Imperial City", the bat replied without lifting his head.

"From who"?

"Some rat, said a fox wanted to talk to his brother about something. Just read the letter".

Daitui nodded, took the Bat Cave's mail and flapped back. They had found their fox.

* * *

Aang looked at the burnt remains of his little brother's ex-bedroom. Lying about were burnt-out remains of arrows Saras had spent countless hours making. The fox wasn't a good shot, and the arrows were mostly bent, but he had spent a lot of time making them. It was heart-breaking to see hours of work burnt up in one fell swoop. His bed was disintegrated entirely, and his knives were splodges of melted metal now. Aang sighed. "My little bro's going to kill me", he groaned.

"Hmm, he hates Xiao Xue more", came Juda's response.

Aang had to chuckle to that. "I have my doubts about whether or not he actually could take Xiao Xue down."

"Xiao Xue's not that good a fighter. He's too ruthless. He's easy to outsmart. And he lets his guard down too quickly", was Juda's reply.

"How's he still alive then"?

"He's ruthless. Nothing beats pure, unrelenting determination, except, well me". She tittered at her own joke, Aang laughed with her, while subconciously staring at her massive form. It would take a lot to beat her, after all, there was a lot of her. "Do you think he'll bring him back"?

"I think so. Kanbu's got a few tricks up his sleeve, but I've trained with him, he's only good when you don't see him coming. After a while he gets a little, predictable."

"How do your little training sessions normally end"? Aang asked. How much are you not telling me little bro ?

"With his face in my mouth and his body in my coils, asking to be let go", she giggled. "He's so cute when he begs".

 _Oh, so you find him cute now ? There really is no one not hiding things from me_. Aang nodded regardless. "That's arguable. Have you seen him pouting"?

She laughed so loud her whole body shook.

 _Very funny, isn't it ?_ "Tell me, what else do you and Kanbu do"?

Daitui arrived at that moment, looking triumphant and holding a scroll in his wing. "We have found our fox", he said triumphantly.

* * *

Jiao'ao smiled. Mei Ling was just as he had left her. She was still a head shorter than him, with pure, snowy white fur, with a dark blue dress with a light blue oval. She was fat, but not incredibly so. In her left paw she held a light green fan, which she used to blow a continuous breeze of fresh air into her face.

They were in the library, 'studying', surrounded by books and scrolls they were supposed to be reading. Instead they were sharing news.

"I heard you were in a Kung Fu Tournament last spring", Mei Ling said, in a tone that dripped with disgust. Despite their close friendship the two of them had always disagreed upon the point of martial arts. Jiao'ao said it was just a hobby. Mei Ling said it was for poor people.

"Yes, well of course my dad had to tell all the other lords about how I _didn'_ t win. How's your life going ? I heard you're getting married"?

She scowled. "Mummy arranged it. I'm supposed to wed some Japanese Lord here in like three days. The guy's not even here yet. He's a jerk, arrogant, selfish, he thinks his country is _so_ much better and his family are only minor lords, yet he seems to think he's the king of the world."

Jiao'ao laughed, despite the pang of pain he felt. He had taken too long to make a move. _What move ? I don't like her. I mean, I do, but I can't. I mean I can, but not in that way. Uh, brain, just shut up._ "Yeah, well I'm supposed to succeed my father and everything. I don't know why, but he's so certain he's going to die in like two seconds time. I don't get it, did he drink some slow-acting poison or something"?

"Life sucks, basically". Mei Ling summarized.

"More or less." Jiao'ao agreed.

Then they both spoke at once. "I don't even know what he wants from me." They broke out laughing.

Looking at them with a pained expression from behind a bookshelf was Lord La, Jiao'ao's father. He sighed. He and his son had been through a lot. All his son's deaths, all of Jiao'ao's brothers gone, that must surely have been hard. And then having someone like him for a father.

Lord La was not a pretty sight. His head was somewhat too big for his body, which was somewhat smaller than it should be. His feathers were blue all over, save for the crown of his head. He wore a light green robe, with golden lacing decorating it with peacock feathers at the end. That was another unnatural aspect to his character. He had no train, it had been torn off during his torture at the hand's of his mongol captors. In it's place he wore a majestic cape of golden coins, stuck together and dragging out behind him like a plough. The emperor himself had given him the train in person. It was an honor to wear, but he couldn't hide his shame. It was as if his heart had been taken away from him, no matter how he covered it, he would always know it was there. Or rather, wasn't.

He and Jiao'ao had never gotten along. The peacock had been the youngest of Lord La's offspring, always so excited and energetic. Lord La had always pushed him away, always too busy to play, always too tired to joke. Then there had been that fateful night. All his other children had passed away on that night, except Jiao'ao. He had lived and had become Lord La's heir. That was when the friction really started to show. There had been that failed marriage, their argument's, his son's dishonorable addiction to practicing Kung Fu.

Lord La sighed and walked off. He just hoped he would have enough time to patch things up.


	10. A New Mission

**A/N: HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR ! I think it's fitting that I finish this chapter on this day. Let the Year of the Rooster begin ! As for this chapter. It is now the longest one I've ever written. It took FOREVER to finish (probably because it's longer than some stories I've published). Anyways I hope you enjoy it.  
**

When Saras first opened his eyes he found that he was laying on a somewhat soft layer of blankets. He sat up, and felt pain shock his body entirely. He looked down at his middle, which was heavily bandaged. He looked around. He was in a small dark room, lit by only one candle. Getting up slowly he looked himself over. His fur was untidy, but that was hardly unusual. His jumper was lying in the corner of the room along with his cloack. He picked up both and put them on, before allowing his rice hat to dangle from his neck and cover his back. His feet were bare and the floor under them was cold and comfortless. He found his Talon Claws and put them on, used to the comfortable feeling of cold metal pressing against his fur. He tested and found that he could still move the metal talons by wriggling his toes. Good, everything was in order. He heard footsteps coming from outside, but found that it was too late to take everything off and pretend to go back to sleep. Then the door opened.

He was staring at what looked like pitch blackness with eyes and a brush, then the being brought up another candle and held it up. She wore a pair of black pants, a black shirt, black gloves and a mask that had a slit for her eyes and holes for her ears. Her eyes were light brown and looked into his with something Saras couldn't really place. She was a head taller than him, and Saras was sure that he had seen her once before.

* * *

 _The kit was rolled up in blankets, not crying, not wailing like a child should , instead he was silent. His mouth was shut, as were his eyes, screwed so tightly down that for a moment she thought he was dead. Then his eyes opened and they peered innocently around the room. They were light brown and full of sweetness. It was such a fitting last sight_.

* * *

Ji Rou blinked at the younger and shorter fox that was staring up at her with young light brown eyes. There was something about the kit that was familiar. She had seen those eyes somewhere before.

Then they both came to the wrong conclusion.

"Hey, I remember you"! Came Saras' voice. "You were in the House of Tamod"!

The answer dawned upon the older fox. "I thought you looked familiar", she said. Before changing the subject. "I presume you want answers."

"Yes. Where, am I"? Was the first question Saras could think of.

"Follow me, the others are waiting".

She turned and Saras scampered off after her. Outside the solitary room the world was as black as before, but it had a distinct path and several other large buildings popping up out of the blackness.

"I presume you know your history quite well. Would the term 'Undercity' be familiar to you"?

"It's not supposed to exist". Came his voice.

She chuckled. "Neither are shapeshifters or Mongolian Death Worms. We live in a crazy world in case you didn't notice."

"I think I noticed when I learned to teleport". He joked, feeling somewhat comfortable despite being around someone he had never really spoken to.

"You remember Hong Ze and Naan, right ? They were also in the tournament."

"I think I'd recognize their faces better than their names", he said scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Who won the tournament in the end ? The three of us left early".

Saras felt a wall of icy cold memories ruin his day. Deciding that he couldn't be bothered to recount the whole tragic finale he opted for another answer. "Han Guan won, Badr Tamod couldn't accept the result and broke his arm doing something stupid, then we all just went our separate ways I guess. Do you mind telling me why I'm here"?

"Well, Hong Ze saved your ungrateful tail and then brought you down here. You therefore owe us. Don't worry, we won't be doing anything evil, we just need you to do something...else. I'll explain more once we're out okay ?"

Saras felt a sinking feeling in his gut. To think he had been happy a few sentences ago.

* * *

"What's taking her so long"? Hong Ze complained. "We've been waiting for hours"!

"Actually it's been four minutes, but she's taking her time, I'll give you that". Naan replied calmly.

Hong Ze paced in a circle, he didn't stop talking once while walking. "You know there's something familiar about him. Like I know him, but I don't. Isn't that a bit odd ? I mean how can I know someone I've never met before ?"

"But you have met him before", was Naan's calm reply.

"The tournament doesn't count. I never even fought him."

"Are you sure"?

At that moment Ji Rou strolled in, followed by Saras. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting. The two of us were catching up."

Saras knew Hong Ze from sight, it had been the elk who had saved him back in the alley. He turned to Naan. The figure had a pair of glowing yellow eyes, whereas the rest of his body was hidden under black and white bandages, a bandana and a rice hat. He remembered little of Naan, except that he had fought Lang in the Fourth Task, and had managed to stop the red panda from proceeding to the finals. _If Lang had been there when the Thing burst in Han Guan wouldn't have died_. _Or maybe he would have. Fate is an ass after all._

"Hi guys", the shapeshifter said simply, feeling incredibly awkward.

"Hello, the name's Hong Ze by the way. Triad Operative, Leader of Cell Seventy Seven, devilishly handsome elk who saved your fluffy tail, pleased to meet you." The elk shook Saras by the paw, while Naan looked him over from behind.

"He gave himself all those names." The figure added. "I'm Naan."

"Hello"? Saras stretched out his paw towards him, but the figure ignored it.

Ji Rou pulled a lever and suddenly the whole floor underneath them began soaring upwards at remarkable speeds. He felt the wind push down on his form, as it rushed in the opposite way he was going. His ears were ringing, and he flattened his paws against them, Ji Rou, Naan and Hong Ze were all unaffected by the sudden motion. Suddenly the lift stopped and all four were sent into the air. Saras shapeshifted into a hummingbird and spread his wings, stopping his soar through the air and slowing down, before he started flapping at a normal pace. He hovered back towards the ground, and in a puff of green became a fox again. Naan landed on his left, Hong Ze on his right, and Ji Rou landed right in front of the door, which she opened.

"Now we can discuss the subject of repayment". She said simply.

* * *

"The Imperial City, the heart of china and the largest city in the known world. What a stupid place to get lost in", were Aang's first words as he, Juda and Daitui strolled into the metropolitan. It was a wonder how Juda had gotten in, seeing as she was after all meant to be an infamous thief and killer. But really in a city with over a thousand residents, it was easy to get in, and get _lost_ in. Everywhere he looked Aang seemed to see a flicker of his brother, a bright red tail, or a dark green cloack, but every time he looked more closely it had just been a different fox, too old, too fat, too tall, too ugly. Somehow, despite the crowd of people, all Aang could see were foxes. He groaned inwardly when he remembered that his brother was a shapeshifter and could have literally walked past him over a hundred times in another form, and of course Aang wouldn't have noticed.

"So where to"? Came Juda's reply as she slithered next to the Bat Lord at a somewhat steady pace, pulling Aang out of his glum thoughts.

"You will go and find us a place to stay, me and Daitui will check out our first lead."

"And what is that"? Juda asked as she stopped, ready to turn and go obey orders.

"Classified." Was Aang's one word response as he walked on, without even turning back to look at the python.

* * *

Saras heard the tinkling of doorbells as he followed Hong Ze and Ji Rou into a clothes store, one that made the market square look small. Naan entered behind him, and the four walked towards a counter. Hong Ze strode up confidently towards it and began speaking in a language Saras vaguely recognized. Then he realized that it was Russian. The dealer was an antelope, clad in luxurious purple overalls, with a fine shirt of gold lace visible underneath it.

"What's he saying"? Saras whispered to Naan.

The figure replied without looking at him. "Your job. The dealer here is part of your payback. Your job is to infiltrate the Forbidden City"-

"Say what"?!

"Only for a short time. The Forbidden City is receiving a Japanese Lord's son by the name of Ishto. You're going to impersonate him, while we rob the _real_ Lord Ishto".

"And why exactly are you trying to rob Lord Ishto"?

"To make up for getting side-tracked."

The dealer suddenly shook his head, and pounded a hoof against the counter.

Ji Rou stepped forwards, and began speaking in a very loud voice. "Oh my gosh ! No ! No, I cant handle this ! I'm going to have an MF"!

"An MF"? The dealer said in a thick russian accent.

"A _mommy fit_ you son of a-"! Saras plunged his paws into his ears, trying to blot out the sound that threatened to rupture his eardrums. Unfortunately for him he failed to hear the rest of the words."My little Ishto is getting married to the Lady Mei Ling, I have just made a three week journey in two and four days, and now scum like you are refusing to do your job for him. No ! I can't believe this !"

"Madam, will you please calm down," the dealer pleaded.

"No ! I will _not_ calm down"! She picked up a scroll and a piece of paper. "I'm going to write to your manager"!

"I don't think"-

"You're right ! I'll take this up with the Emperor"!

"Okay, okay fine. I will tailor for this Japanese scumbag, but it will come at a very heavy price"! The antelope rubbed two hooves together, indicating money.

"Consider it done"! Said Hong Ze, who shook appendages with the dealer.

"I will get to work immediately", the dealer promised. He was about to head out a door, but Naan grabbed him by the wrist.

"Me and my liege shall watch you work, just so that we know there is no trickery in play."

"Very well", the antelope said through gritted teeth.

Naan grabbed Saras by the wrist and pulled him into the back of the shop.

"I will warn you." The antelope said. "I work incredibly fast"!

"That is of no matter", Naan assured. Saras watched the dealer get to work. Then he noticed that Naan was no longer next to him. He noticed the bandaged figure behind a screen, his glowing golden eyes had three black wheels each, all three of whom were spinning around in a circle. The dealer was cutting fabric at incredible speeds, within five minutes the first robe had already been complete. Naan, however, was moving about as quickly as the dealer was, and had a robe ready a second after the antelope. He stuffed a robe into an empty sword sheath, and began getting to work on yet another piece. Saras' eyes darted from one to another. Two minutes later he was shaking his head and blinking. This was all too much to take in.

"There you go. Two robes, one shirt and a pairs of pants, along with a kimono. Now pay up"! The dealer said, with a massive grin on his face.

"No. This is of substandard quality. Come Ishto, we are leaving"! Naan grabbed Saras by the paw and pulled him out. The dealer looked like he was going to explode.

When outside, the pair joined up with Hong Ze and Ji Rou, before all four walked back to the old tower. When they had reached it, Saras decided to relieve his curiosity.

"How did you do that"? His voice conveyed amazement, wonder and admiration.

"Method acting", was Ji Rou's answer as she pulled on a dark blue robe over her black clothes, before pulling off her mask to reveal an extremely pretty face.

"A bit of bilanguability", was Hong Ze's reply as he put on a pair of bright red robes over his dirty brown ones.

"Sharingan. The Mirror Eyes Technique. I used it to copy the dealer's most minute movements, and therefore managed to replicate his work perfectly. As to how I got all the clothes to fit into this sheath, I don't even know how I did that." Was Naan's response as he pulled on a dark green kimono over his black and white bandages, and put the empty sheath on his back, and filling it with a false handle, giving the appearance that he was carrying an actual katana.

"Kid, these are for you". Hong Ze threw a pair of pants and a shirt.

Saras gave the elk the most deadpanned look ever. "They just _had_ to be pink, didn't they"?

* * *

There was something that made Xueye's crimson fur tingle whenever he looked at the casket in front of him. It contained their target's blood and could be used to track down the fox. The cask was golden and cylindrical, with glass so that Xueye could see the fox's life blood lying there. The hemomancer's apprentice looked around the room. He had wished he had killed the albino bat, but of course their employer had had to stop him. He looked around the empty room. There was a large circular table, with several chairs of pure carved amethyst, with jade carvings etched onto them. The table itself was golden. Xueye blinked. He found his paw stretching towards the casket.

 _"You're just a weakling ! I'm only doing this for- Just go cry in a corner ! You useless pup !"_

 _"Cut your wrists ! If you die, well then you were never meant to live anyways."_

 _"That bat of yours is a shame to your craft and everything I taught you !...Keep it, it's just like you. A shame to your craft"!_

"Shut up", Xueye said to noone in particular. The Hemomancer would know if he did this, but it was something he had to do. He had never feared the Hemomancer, only hated him.

 _"Turn your hatred for me into your weapon. Make everything you are into a weapon. Because noone cares about a weapon and noone cares about you"!_

Xueye slipped open the cask, and let a single drop of blood fall into his mouse. He had to do this. Every inch of his body was compelling him to continue. The blood was still warm, and tasted bitter, but not unfamiliar.

 _"Can't catch me"! The kit raced into the back door of the house and slammed it shut behind him, giggling at his cleverness. Then another door open and in walked his father, tall, serious, gaunt, and unloving. A serious figure. His father turned towards him, with a look of disgust on his face._

 _"Still playing that stupid game"? The older fox sneered._

 _The kit put his paw in his mouth and began sucking._

Xueye gasped back into reality, his heart beating fast. He heard footsteps approaching, and threw the lid back on the casket, before placing the casket in the center of the table and sitting down. In walked the Hemomancer, who payed him no mind. Xueye put a claw in his mouth and began sucking. His heart was still beating quickly. The blood in that casket...it was familiar.

It was his.

* * *

"This is our first lead"? Was Daitui's question when he and Aang first stepped foot in the prayer hall.

The hall itself was beautiful in it's own way, but couldn't be fully appreciated by the common, mundane public. The floor of the main hall was prestene white marble, with the depiction of a single drop of red blood painted on it. Along the walls were tapestries of legends Aang had heard as a child, but had never remembered as being so gory. The pillars were shaped like twisting intestines, and directly opposite the front door stood an altar with a huge ruby which burned with fire. Around the ruby scented candles burnt along with incense. There were goblets of pure gold around the altar and the room as a whole, with a stone knife that looked almost blunt.

"Well, the people living in the Daisui's mansion were members of the Drops, so it would be nice to check out their main temple when looking for them. Now your turn to answer something. What are those goblets filled with and why"?

"The stone knife represents one's difficulty coming in line with faith, the giving of one's blood shows one's willingness to serve the Crimson Lord in full. Essentially it's a clever way to get blood donations."

"Yes very clever, when in doubt use the heaven's as an excuse and you'll never fail", Aang said in a sarcastic drawl.

"I agree there are better excuses." Came an old, choked up voice from behind them.

Daitui and Aang turned. "And you are"? The vulture asked.

"Chang Shuimian", the avian replied, bowing low. "High priest of the Drops and at your service".

"We don't require your service, but you could use some clothes", Aang replied, getting prickly fur all over his back just looking at the waterfowl.

Chang Shuimian was naked. He was a stork, or a crane. Old, with light and dark feathers of a grey colour. His beak was bright yellow as were his old long, legs. The bird's only attire was a crown of metal that added what looked like horn to his head and a staff he was using to limp with. "The young these days, so full of excitement, but so empty of manners."

"It's not only him", Daitui said next, his old black eyes telling him this bird was bad business. "I also think you could do with a towel." He pointed a wing at one of the golden goblets. "You might want to sell one of those and get yourself something more priestly than your microscopic"-

"I will not tolerate this"! Chang cut off the vulture, his face going purple.

"Dick. Microscopic dick." Aang finished.

"We'll show ourselves out", Daitui finished, bowing his head down to the elderly stork.

The pair stepped out of the temple, not noticing the people making a clear pathway right through the center of the street. Well, Aang didn't notice anyways.

"That creep ! Look at him, waltzing around everywhere butterball naked asking to get respect. Who does he think he is"?

"Aang, we have more pressing issues than Chang Shuimian."

On a palanquin being carried around in front of Aang's eyes sat Saras. The pink clothes could not hide the face and fur he knew so well. The kit was forcing himself to smile and wave at the crowd. Aang's face dropped. "Kanbu ?"

"I think we found our fox", Daitui added, somewhat unhelpfully.

But Aang wasn't listening to him. "Kanbu ! Kanbu !" The bat would have flapped into the air and gone right up to his little brother and hug him so hard he couldn't breathe, but the lack of space forced him to stay grounded. "Kanbu"! He pushed aside several people, who gave him dirty looks and muttered mutinously. "Kanbu"!

He had lost sight of the palanquin. He barged people left and right, and carved his passage through the crowd. But by the time he reached the main road the crowd had already broken up, and Aang was left standing there, Saras' palanquin already far out of sight. He had been so close. So close. Daitui joined him. "Should we follow him"?

"No. We head back to Juda." But Aang couldn't care about what he said. He was too busy in his own thoughts. _He looked so happy..._

* * *

Saras realized that he was in way over his head when the gates of the Forbidden City closed behind him. But at that point all he could do was be dragged around by the triads, hoping they knew what they were doing.

They were greeted by a small brown bunny in a purple robe with silver lacing and a massive grin on his face that made his whiskers (which were about as long as him) who's two front teeth stood out of his mouth. " _Konichiwa_ "!

The bunny then began speaking in very quick, perfectly pronounced Japanese, none of which Saras even understood. However, Hong Ze was kind enough to fill him in. "You're going to have dinner with your bride and Lord La's son"-

"Bride ?! Who said anything about having a bride"!?

"You're pretending to be Lord Ishto, who is in this country for his marriage." Hong Ze replied.

"And you tell me this now"? Yes, he was in _way over his head_.

"Well, you're not really going to get married. You just need to stick around so that me and my colleagues can rob the _real_ Ishto. All you have to do is kiss the girl, then swap back with Ishto and you've got no wife on your door, and our lord will be broke and married. It's a win win situation really"!

Saras blinked, but could argue no further as the excitable bunny threw open the door to a lavishly decorated room. "For the groom", he said in Chinese. Saras bowed and walked into the room, before closing the door behind him.

"Right. Now time to ditch the baggage." He opened the windows and hoped it would be easy enough to jump off onto solid ground but found a plunge. He gulped audibly. Shapeshifting was still an option, but there were guards lining the walls and it would be somewhat difficult to explain the presence of either a crane, hummingbird or a dragon. Then he blinked when he noticed the view of the Forbidden City. Then his jaw dropped.

It was like heaven on earth. He was in the Lower Palace, reserved for lesser lords and noble houses. It in itself was a magnificent building, with bright red pillars lined with round golden little cusps. The roof was bright red, with a large tower standing at either side of the palace. The tower was about as tall as the Tower of Sacred Flames in Gongmen City, and was of the same make. The Palace was half the height, but thicker. The roof itself was tilted so that at the very top a line of flat clay tiles lined it, with a signature oriental curve at the end of it. The Greater Palace was the same image, but to a slightly larger scale. It was beautiful. Around both palaces were little bits of garden, paved with nice, neat cobblestones, each one the exact same size and shape. There were little roundabouts with fountains in the center of them, clear water spouting out of the mouth of legends. He saw the Yellow Emperor, fat, cheerful, with water gushing from his mouth and curling mustachios. The Jinjiang River Goddesses seemed to be the water itself, as they leapt around the plaza.

He sighed, somewhat contended. This view was worth all the trouble of marriage.

* * *

Shan Qu entered the Imperial City. He stopped to lean against a hot wall and panted. His brow was streaked with sweat. He pulled himself up, clutching the letter tightly to his wings. Aang had neglected to read it, and had merely gone to the Imperial City. Of course Shan Qu had happened upon the letter, which in hindsight the Bat Lord really should have read. Shan Qu got up, and stumbled from the sudden feeling of weight on his legs. He had made a week's journey in three days, and the poor bat was well and truly exhausted. But of course he was too stubborn to give up. He took a step forwards and tripped, falling flat on his face, the letter he had guarded so carefully began rolling away from his grip, and unfolded itself at the feet of a small light grey rat, with a bright pink tail and a red sleeveless vest with matching pants.

"Huh. I swear I posted this a few days ago"! The rat said, cocking his head to the side before realization hit him.

Shan Qu got to his feet, stumbled and stood up. "What do you mean, you sent it"?

"Well the kit wrote it, I posted it. I'm guessing you're with the Bat Cave." Jixioa stooped and picked up the letter, folding it back into shape.

"Yeah, I'm looking for the kit." Was Shan Qu's reply as he snatched back the letter.

"He was with me, then I went and lost him. So we better get started." Jixiao said, turning on his heels and walking off.

"What do you mean, you lost him"!? Shan Qu asked at his heels.

"I could ask you the same question. Isn't your organization meant to be responsible for him"?

Shan Qu had no answer to that and decided to change the subject.

"How do you know about the Bat Cave"?

* * *

Saras wasn't as surprised to see Jiao'ao as Jiao'ao was to see him. The peacock's eyes practically popped out of his sockets, and his beak dropped so low it almost hit the floor. Well Saras remembered it like that anyways. He was told he was going to have lunch with his bride and Lord La's son. Jiao'ao of course had failed to mention his father's name. Typical. The Lady Mei Ling was less surprised and more angry to see him.

"Hi", Saras said nervously, trying and failing at a Japanese accent.

"You"! Jiao'ao gasped.

"Me"? Saras squeaked.

"Ishto"! Mei Ling growled.

Before the shapeshifter could even comprehend what was going on he received a bitch slap. _Very funny fate, but a female fox is called a vixen, not a bitch._ "What was that for"? Jiao'ao had every right to slap him. But he had done absolutely nothing to the Lady Mei Ling. Well... Saras hadn't.

"For being an obnoxious son of a bitch"! She aimed another slap, but this time he ducked.

"You're a Lady, you're not meant to swea-" This time she did hit him, right on the muzzle. Saras had been punched by many a stronger foe than the Lady Mei Ling. But it still kind of stung and made his nose feel numb.

"I will do what I want"! She snapped, before returning to her seat and sitting down.

Saras blinked, unsure of what to do, and staring at the larger vixen with mixed fear and confusion.

"Well sit down"! She snapped fanning herself elegantly, and Saras obeyed almost immediately. His instincts told him quite clearly that male dominance had been thrown out the window and that this was her territory. She was a few inches taller than him, and wider as well. Her back stood stock still, while he sat somewhat hunched.

Jiao'ao looked from one to the other with mixed disbelief. "Ishto, may I have a word"?

"Why not"? Between the vixen and Jiao'ao, Saras was more scared of the vixen.

They both got up and strolled out the room just as the brown bunny strolled in, holding three plates of soup all of which were much larger than him.

"Lady Mei Ling, why so glumly today"?

"Wei Wei, I'm not in the mood right now"!

The rabbit nodded, gulped, put the food down and walked quickly out the room. This was none of his business.

"What are you doing here"!? Jiao'ao hissed in a low whisper. They had now reached the gardens Saras had been admiring before.

"Getting abused by some man-woman with a belly the size of me ! I'm having the time of my life right here"! The shapeshifter hissed back in a whisper dripping with sarcasm. Saras noted how Jiao'ao winced when the fox insulted the vixen.

"Explain what you're doing pretending you're Ishto".

"Well, fate hates me, and will always put me in some kind of life-threatening situation."

"When the real Ishto gets here you're going to be in a lot of trouble. Mei Ling's dad will have your tail for a paint brush."

"Well so long as all he gets is my tail. What did Ishto even do to her"?

"He's rude, really rude. And he'll want more than your tail when you marry his daughter. Foxes mate for life you know ! He wouldn't want some commoner marrying his one and only daughter."

"Well I don't plan on 'mating' her or 'marrying' her. I just want to go home"!

Jiao'ao breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. As long as you get out of here before the real Ishto shows up, I won't ask."

Saras had noticed something. "Why does who she marries bother you so much"?

"Because she's my f-friend. Like my c-close friend. My b-best friend actually. She deserves something g-good".

"You like her don't you"? Saras said, with a great big teasing smile on his muzzle.

Jiao'ao stopped walking. "Why would you think that"?

"Well you winced when I called her a 'man-woman',which shows that you care about her. You stuttered whenever you called her your friend, which shows you think of her as more than that."

Jiao'ao turned to him. "Why are you here again"?

"Okay fine, I got a lucky guess." Saras admitted. Jiao'ao kicked him, and sent him flying into a fountain.

The fox landed on his tail, and was promptly drenched by the water gushing out of the Yellow Emperor's mouth. Saras pulled himself out, and found himself face to face with Jiao'ao. "Shifty. If you tell anyone"-

"I won't", Saras promised.

"Good". Jiao'ao picked Saras up by shoulders and put the fox down onto dry ground. Even though their was only a head difference in their height, Jiao'ao bent his knees so that he and Saras were staring each other right in the eye. "Now answer the question. Why. Are. You. Here ?"

Saras sighed. Jiao'ao was too persistent to lie to. "Basically I did something wrong and then my brother got angry at me. Then I realized he was lying about some really touchy matters. So we had a big fight, and then I ran away. Then something made me go even further. And I ended up bumping into you. And then I hitched along with you. I ended up here. Sent my brother a letter. I was waiting to be picked up, then someone came and nearly killed me, I was bleeding out when someone found me. Now I'm pretending to be Ishto to repay them for saving my life, so that I can go home. Happy ?"

Jiao'ao blinked. "I guess."

The two began walking back to the dining hall. "Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Then Jiao'ao began speaking. "I understand the importance of family Shifty. I wish I still had my brothers, but some things aren't meant to be".

"What do you mean"?

"When I was younger my older brothers took me on a tour of the province they were going to end up ruling. My oldest brother was killed on the spot to show my dad that this was serious. Then they starved my other brother to death. My dad butchered them in turn, but I was the only one left by that time. The only chick left. The runt of the litter, as your species would say."

Saras blinked. "I'm sorry Jiao'ao."

Jiao'ao nodded. "It's the past. I've moved on."

"It still stings, doesn't it"?

"Yup".

The awkward silence that followed only ended when they walked back into the dining hall. Mei Ling's eyes widened at Saras' dripping wet fur, and at the happy look on Jiao'ao's face. Lunch was a quiet affair. When Saras was done he bowed low before both of them and walked away to get dry. Mei Ling didn't even bother asking what had happened. Then she turned to Jiao'ao. "So, what exactly did you two talk about"?

"Er, stuff."

"Tell me"!

* * *

Xiao Xue lay on a cold, hard floor. He could hear the incessant drip of water. _Drip, drip_. His eyes were drooping, but the water kept him awake. _Drip, drip_. It wasn't the worst torture he had ever been through. But it was a cruel reminder. _And they're both because of one stupid fox_.

 _The flames licked the tip of his chest, not enough to ignite his wet chest fur, but enough to cause excruciating pain._ That had been the start. The knives had kissed him in so many ways and in so many places, that he had lost count of all the scars he had received that day.

He was in deep thought. He could throw away his life for the sake of his organization...but was it worth it. He was one of the Bat Cave's best. He had experience, skill, cunning. But he had never been _the_ best. No matter how good he became there was always someone throwing him into their shadow. When in his prime of youth Daitui had always been there, the Vulture of Shadows threw him behind him. Then Daitui began looking after the children, like Ban the Butcher before him, and for a brief moment Xiao Xue had been the Bat Cave's pride and joy. Then Saras had come along. No matter how good he got, the fox had the advantage of being a _shapeshifter. How could anyone compete wi_ th _that ?_ It was unfair. The fox's first mission had further dented Xiao Xue's pride and influence. He had been caught and subjected to the lesser known methods of torture. Everything he had done for the Bat Cave, and some kit was outshining him. Come to think of it...what had the Bat Cave ever done for him ?

He smiled despite himself. Well, his mental debate had been settled. Now the main question was...to what extent did he betray the Bat Cave ?

* * *

Jixiao watched as Shan Qu lay sleeping under the pile of blankets the rat had generously given him. Jixiao had been explaining how he had discovered the kit's sudden disappearance, when Shan Qu had went and dropped onto the couch, exhausted.

Jixiao sighed. If this was the future of the Bat Cave than it had a lot to worry about. This was the second operative that had come into the home of a stranger, unarmed, based purely on the fact that he was supposed to know about their organization. The rat watched as the sun fell below the horizon, and sighed again. The world was a beautiful place. But he felt nothing beautiful about the world he lived in.

It was really hard to quit when you were in. Half the Underworld knew him by sight, the other half by reputation. And sure he had been young and stupid once, but he had wised up. Both Shan Qu and Saras had a lot of wising up to do. And if they hoped to live a long happy-ish life like him, then they had better start doing it fast.

* * *

Aang stared into the candle as the flames flickered brightly. So many colours, so many surprises. The Bat Lord sighed. He had begged the guards at the Forbidden City to let him in. He had gone on his knees and folded his wings together. Tears had come streaming down his cheeks and Daitui had had to drag him away. He sneezed loudly into a tissue. Everything they had been through together. And still...his brother had ignored him. Their was a slight possibility that Saras hadn't heard him. But that was ridiculous. Foxes had decent enough hearing, and not many people were shouting at the time. But the ultimate sting was the fact that the kit had looked so happy. How could he have been happy, away from home, lost in the Imperial City. Aang was beginning to wish that he had opened Saras' letter. But he couldn't force himself to do it. It was just too...it had too many emotions connected to it. His brother had been angry, but had still bothered to write a letter, and mail it all the way from the Imperial City.

He doesn't need me anymore. Their entire bond had been built upon revenge, but their was a bond. Aang had always loved Saras, like any older brother should. He had looked out for him, done his best to keep him safe and out of danger. He had done his best to help him with any problems he had. They had played as children, under Daitui's tutelage they had sparred and Aang would always make up stories for them to both enjoy. They had eaten together, laughed together, mourned together. They had been together every step of the way. But Aang had loved him too much to tell him the truth. Saras was a runt. Unwanted by his family he had been cast aside to the Jit Kun. Of course he had _wanted_ to tell him, but he couldn't imagine the pained look on Saras' face when he found out that his whole life so far had been a lie. He was not avenging his family, his family never loved him. He was avenging people who took him from his family, and gave him love. But Aang could not bring himself to tell Saras that his family had not wanted him. That the mother who gave birth to him...

He couldn't say it.

But of course all secrets had short legs. And of course, Saras had found out about everything. The Jit Kun took him from his family. He wasn't avenging his family. He had been deceived by the bat he called brother. He had found out everything. Except the one harsh fact he couldn't face. His real family never loved him.

Aang sneezed into the tissue again. Juda would think him weak. Daitui would say that he had to hide his emotions. But Aang didn't care anymore.

He cried like a little boy, one that had lost his brother, forever. Because of course, that was exactly what he felt like.

* * *

 _Footnote: And we're done. Never again. No, no, no. Not another goliath like this in a LOOOOOOOOONG time I assure you. It's too much pressure. XD_

 _Anyways the plot moves forwards, and Saras has gone and stuck himself in way too deep, again._

 _Don't you just love it when that happens._

 _Okay, a lot to talk about here. I'm not entirely sure how accurate my description of the Forbidden City is. I based it off of this image, and basically Kung Fu Pandified it. In the end however I'm quite glad of how it and the Drops temple have been described. The Forbidden City won't really play a major role here in this story, but it will later on in the Stories of Saras, so I figured it would be nice to introduce it here._

 _Sharingan is basically stolen from Naruto. I just realized that Naan is more powerful here than how he was represented in House of Tamod, so we'll just say he wasn't using his full potential, shall we ? One thing that's bugging me a bit is that my characters tend to have these tiny personality changes with every story, that's something I'm trying to fix and improve upon._

 _Anyways, like I said before Happy New Year (the Chinese one, btw) and Update soon._


	11. Passing the Time

Hong Ze, Naan and Ji Rou all had rooms next to each other. It had been entertainingly easy to visit one another. They had changed into their normal attire and were currently sitting in a circle on the floor, Naan's glowing yellow eyes providing all the illumination they needed.

"So. What happens now"? Naan asked, toying with his bandages.

"Well, we go with the flow, until the real Ishto shows up. If he comes on schedule, then we go with the plan. If he comes early then we leave". Hong Ze explained, extremely smug about the success his plan had so far.

"What about the kid"? Naan asked, before Ji Rou could.

"Well, if Ishto shows up he'll have to leave as well. Not my problem,really". Hong Ze said brushing it off.

"If he's not your problem why didn't you let him bleed out in the alleyway"? Ji Rou asked.

"Well, I couldn't let him die". The elk spoke as if the answer were obvious.

"And what do you think will happen if he's caught posing as a Japanese Lord"? Naan asked, in a deadpanned tone.

"Well, he can look after himself can't he ? Besides this is China, the worst they'll do is chuck him in a cell".

"That's not going to happen. If we leave, he leaves with us", Ji Rou said with a tone that brought finality to the conversation.

"And what if Ishto comes late ? And the kid ends up marrying the Lady Mei Ling"?

"Well then things get really spicy. If they are married, then the kid will be legally obliged to help her rule her province. She is the one and only heir of the Lady Guafu, and as her daughter's mate, he'll have to succeed her. If we can keep him with the triads than we have a mole in court."

"What happens when the real Ishto shows up"? Ji Rou wouldn't admit to it, but she was secretly impressed at how well Hong Ze had thought this through.

"Well there's nothing that can be done. Foxes mate for life, so when the marriage is over, it's over. and Ishto can go all the way back to where he came from."

"You thought this through very well." Naan complimented.

"Thank you. Now if you don't mind I'm going to abuse my position of power and sleep. So scram." The elk got up, a smug look on his face.

Ji Rou waited until the elk had plopped onto her bed. "Hong Ze, this is my room."

The elk sat up as if he had landed on a hedgehog. "Right. I'll go to my room".

* * *

Saras soon became accustomed to life in the Forbidden City. He had swapped his wet pink garments for his usual attire, for some reason he doubted anyone would care. He was nobility, and boy did everyone know that. Better yet he was foreign nobility, which upped his status a bit. Anything he wanted, and it was his two seconds later. Saras didn't like to abuse this new found power but...

The fox lay on an exquisite throne made of silk and cotton pillows elaborately threaded together. He was fanned from either side by a servant. He sucked up an intoxicating mix of fruit juices from a hollow coconut shell with a reed straw. Over his eyes he wore a pair of cucumber slices. Jiao'ao watched all of this with a scowl on his face.

"Ah, this is the life"! Saras said as the peacock waved away the servants, who gladly left.

"How does one of Japanese nobility speak Chinese in such a fluent tongue"?

Saras sat up, the cucumber slices fell off his face as he swallowed the juice hastily. "Oh, it's you", he grumbled, before slumping back into the world of softness that was the throne of pillows.

"What exactly are you doing"? Jiao'ao asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Saras took another sip of the beverage. "What does it look like I'm doing ? I'm living like a king".

"King's do more than boss people around. King's have duties"-

"And so do I ! You have no idea how much stress I've been through just to get here ? Just let me, relax".

"Kanbu"!

"Please Jiao'ao, only today I have been thrown under the Yellow Emperor and assaulted by a vixen the size of the Himalayas. Just. Let. Me. Relax ".

"I can't. I'm honor bound to"-

"Chum up to Japanese nobility. Now get yourself a throne and we can start".

"I am not going to abuse my position"!

 _Two minutes later._

The pair lay on exquisite thrones made of silk and cotton pillows elaborately threaded together. They each sucked up an intoxicating mix of fruit juices from a hollow coconut shell with a reed straw.

"This really is the life", Jiao'ao admitted.

* * *

Xueye stared into the wall. He was thinking. He had one of two choices. He could sit back and do nothing. That was what he was supposed to do. Just stay in the corner or something until he was needed. It would be so easy, to just let fate play it's hand, with no responsibility on his shoulders.

Of course, he knew. Deep down, he knew. He couldn't do it.

On the one paw, his master and the drops.

On the other, his blood.

Xueye stared at the wall, but found no answers in it's simplicity.

* * *

 _"Can't catch me"! The kit teleported, just as Aang ran to catch him. The bat slipped on a sock and fell on his tail, before turning to see the little fox cub on the other side of the room. He knew how to play it now. Clutching his leg in his wing Aang winced and tried to get to his feet, only to fall back to the ground. This time on purpose. Saras' eyes widened as he slowly approached the bat on the ground. "Aang ? Are you okay"?_

 _The bat's wing shot up and caught the fox right on the nose, though not with much power. "Tag, you're it"!_

 _"Hey"! The kit exclaimed, as the bat flapped away._

Aang sighed as he saw all those memories unfold in front of his mind's eye. Things had been so simple back then. But with his brother most things had been simple. That trick had worked nearly every single time they had played tag. Even after they were both supposed to have outgrown the game. Some things would always stay the same, and if Aang just pretended to be hurt for long enough Saras would always come back. Sometimes anxious, sometimes curious, sometimes unhappy. But either way he would always come back.

Except now. Right now, Kanbujian wasn't coming back. Aang sighed. He would stay in the Imperial City for three more days. Then he was leaving. He didn't care whether Juda and Daitui came along or not. Right now he wasn't even sure what he cared about.

* * *

Jixiao sniffed along the side of the main street.

"What are you doing"? Shan Qu asked, slightly weirded out by the rat's behavior.

"I'm using my nose", Jixiao replied, as if the answer was obvious.

"And how is that going to help ? At least a hundred people walk down this street every day, it's not like you're going to sniff up the one fox we're looking for."

"I'm not sniffing for him. I told you, I grew up with Daitui. It's pretty hard to forget what an animal smells like when you've been _real_ close to them."

"And how close exactly are you to Daitui ? Because he never mentioned you." Shan Qu asked skeptically.

"History ain't always nice kid. I understand why he didn't mention it."

Shan Qu scowled and changed the subject. "And when you catch his scent, which I've never even noticed, what exactly are you going to do. Follow your nose all the way to wherever he's staying"?

"No. And will you stop asking so many questions ?! I'm trying to focus !"

"Okay, yeesh. Just interested, that's all." Shan Qu turned away and continued walking at the same pace as the rat. He hoped dearly that he hadn't made a terrible mistake.

* * *

 _Footnote: And Saras finally get's a break. Even if it is only for one chapter. Not much to say here, except that things are coming to a close pretty soon. So stay tuned for all of that drama._

 _Enjoy, Update soon._


	12. The Red Wedding

Saras woke up in the middle of the night, he was panting and sweat made his fur cling to him. He sat up, suddenly feeling a chill run down his spine and set his fur standing on end. He sneezed, and let himself lay back down on the pillows. A sneeze, he had woken up because of a sneeze. _I'm getting way too paranoid._ If he was going to get married today fate could at least let him sleep. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

There was no denying the cold, familiar and metallic scent of blood. He sat up again, and threw the blankets off. Getting off the bed he searched the room, but his eyes saw nothing unusual. He closed his eyes, and began sniffing. He began walking on all fours, sniffing, his head turning and twisting about. He took a step forwards, and felt something warm and wet touch his right paw.

His eyes snapped open, and he pushed himself to his feet. He was staring at a mass of crimson water pooling on the floor. He would have yelled, but found no words could leave his throat. Then the blood did something even scarier. It moved. Inch by inch the blood scraped across the floor and amassed in the center of the room. It rose slowly, becoming bright, crimson fur, a pair of light brown eyes, a puffy tail, a pair of crimson pants, a metal bat, a crimson cloak and a piece of metal that traveled down the figure's muzzle and had a single crimson drop of blood painted on.

This was the Hemomancer's apprentice.

Saras slashed with his claws, slicing Xueye's cheek open, before kicking the fellow fox in the belly. The young hemomancer pushed the fox off of him with a ball of blood.

"That hurt", he said plainly,his face showing no emotion, before allowing his blood to reseal the cut and his crimson fur to grow back to normal. "But hurting me isn't going to help you".

Saras blinked. "Actually I could use the stress relief", the shapeshifter teleported behind Xueye and pulled the rug from under him, making the fox fall on his face.

Xueye got up. "You got lucky". He cut himself a bit, it was only a tiny scratch but a pawful of blood poured out. Saras tried another claw-swipe. The blood flew up and blocked the shapeshifter's attack, before returning to the young hemomancer's feet. Saras tried a kick, but the blood leapt up to block that as well.

"Okay...I'm going to ignore the fact that I'm watching blood fly".

Xueye's face showed little emotion. "My Unbreakable Defensive has yet to be bested. You wanted stress relief didn't you ? Trust me, you won't get any here".

Saras growled, before crossing his arms. While this went against all the training he had in self-preservation he was fed up of having to deal with the hemomancer and his apprentice."What do you want anyways ? You were bothered enough to follow me to the Bat Cave, you were bothered enough to follow me into the Imperial City, and you were bothered enough to follow me here. What did I ever do to you"?

Xueye blinked. "You did a lot of things, some you're not even aware of." Saras saw pain flash through Xueye's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with the same emotionless picture. "But I'm not here to talk about things you can't remember".

Saras was confused. He had never met Xueye before, but the crimson fox was acting like they knew each other. Saras could certainly see similarities in them. They had the same build, short and slim with scruffy fur. They had the same light brown eyes and they had...there was something else that Saras could sense they shared, but he didn't really know what it was. Something subtle, something he couldn't place.

"You need to leave." Xueye continued.

"And go where ? You and your creepy boss will follow me everywhere so why should I leave ?"

Xueye blinked. _Because you're my brother and I don't want to watch you die._ "Because it's a trap. The wedding, it's a trap. B-someone wants you dead. But...I want you to have a fair shot. So go anywhere, anywhere but here. Please. I'm begging you."

Saras blinked. This was weird. Why would he have any reason to tell him this ? "A fair shot ? And what did I do to deserve a fair shot"?

 _Screw this !_ "Because we share blood." Xueye said, giving up his emotionless expression and swapping it for what was a genuine pleading look.

"What's that supposed to mean"? Saras asked, even more confused now than he had been five seconds ago.

"You're my brother", Xueye said, with the same pleading look.

Saras gave him the most deadpanned look ever. "That's ridiculous."

Xueye went back to his emotionless face. "We look alike. We have the same eyes and"-

"You're not my brother"! Saras turned to him. "I don't have a broth"- Then he remembered Aang. His brother. "My family life is complicated." He said, turning his back to Xueye once again.

"Believe me. I can relate. I didn't have what you'd call a pleasant upbringing." Xueye said. "Which is why I'm here now. Whether you like it or not you're family to me. And family always comes first". How he kept his voice free of emotion was truly a wonder.

"Okay, so we might have a bit in common. That doesn't make us family. Family is"-

"Family is who you're born with. Not who you choose". Xueye said firmly, his voice still free of emotion.

"No. Family is who your heart lies with". Saras said. "Now go."

Xueye's emotions came out suddenly. His face was the definition of flabbergasted. "B-but"-

"If you came here to fight than start already. If not then there's nothing left to talk about. Family or not you tried to kill me before, why should I trust you now"?

Xueye blinked twice, then sighed. His voice sounded hurt when he spoke next. "Because we're family".

The next time Saras turned around Xueye was gone and a pool of blood was flowing away under the door.

Saras wanted to believe Xueye, that much he had to admit to himself. He wanted to have a family. But Xueye... Saras sighed. Right now it didn't matter who his family was. He had to do this for the triads, and there was no reason for Xueye to tell him the truth in the first place. Saras sighed. His fate was already planned out for him. He might as well just let fate screw with his life even more, after all it was already screwed enough.

 _Oh gods I want to go home._ Sighing, he lay down on the bed, and lay there, staring at the wall for what felt like years. _I have a brother. And I'm going to die today_.

* * *

Saras woke up to the sound of his door clicking open. He sat up immediately, his eyes wide, his heart pumping, his blood running cold. Then he saw that he was looking at his bride-to-be.

"Lady Mei Ling"- He felt somewhat exposed, despite being fully clothed and covered by a thick blanket.

"Ishto." She replied simply. For a few moments the pair of them stayed in place in the most awkward silence known to mammals. Then the lady finally spoke. "We're getting married today."

"I noticed." Saras replied.

"Do you love me"? She asked suddenly.

"Uh- no. I mean yes. I mean no. Er, is this a trick question"?

If he had been in slapping range, she would have smacked his muzzle clean off. "Just answer it. And there's no point lying."

"Okay fine. I don't love you. I don't know you. I don't even like you. Happy, now"?

She looked relieved. "Good. Okay, you can drop the act, _Ishto_ , I know you're not who you say you are."

Saras blinked twice. "Jiao'ao told you, didn't he"?

"I've known him since we were little. Trust me, he can't keep a secret from me. So, here's what's going to happen"-

"I don't plan on marrying you either. Something is going to happen today, and I can't tell you what it is now, but I can promise you that I am not going to be with you for the rest of my life." Those were words only, Saras wasn't even sure what the triads wanted from him, and he had no idea whatsoever what Xueye was going to do. He had no idea what was going to happen, and he couldn't care less anymore. Fate hated him too much to be clear anyways.

"Okay. Okay. So, you've got this sorted ? Are you sure"?

 _No, absolutely not._ "Definitely".

"Well then, Ishto. I hope you have a good morning." And with that she left, considerably more happy.

Saras was left, feeling even more sick. He should never have run away. He should never have come here. He was going to be dragged down to hell...and right now he wasn't sure who he was dragging down with him. He flopped back onto the bed, and sniveled. He had never wanted any of this. All he had wanted, was to go home. Now it was too late to do either.

* * *

Jixiao pored over the one clue all his sniffing had lead him to. A feather. One he recognized subconsciously, could only belong to one vulture. He knew Daitui through and through. This was his. Of this, Jixiao was absolutely certain. Which meant Daitui was here. And that meant... the rat sighed, and got up. "Shan Qu. Something really bad is going to go down. We're your boss today, even if it kills us."

"So what's the plan"? The bat asked, getting to his feet, ready for action.

"I don't have one." Jixiao replied.

"So we're just going to walk into every inn until we find them"? The bat asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, more or less." Was Jixiao's answer.

* * *

Saras had breakfast, which he threw up a few minutes later. He didn't even bother when lunch came. He spent the whole day moping, staring into an empty wall that brought him no answers. He felt that the wall perfectly represented his heart at that moment. Empty. He washed, he brushed his teeth. He drank water. He put on his normal attire, and got ready for his wedding. _To think, people actually look forwards to this kind of thing_. The sun set below the horizon, and Saras got to his feet. He wiped at his nose and walked out. He would never come back to this room, he knew that for sure.

He sighed and set off.

* * *

To Aang the day passed like any other. He spent it the same way he had spent the last one. Moping. He heard a knock at the door and saw in the corner of his eye Daitui entering. But he didn't care. He couldn't care about anything. All he could think about were his memories. There was that time they had gone ice skating on the ice Aang had filed their room with, that had ended with them crashing into each other and catching a cold. Still it was one of those memories that stood stuck in the back of a head and could never really be pushed away. He sighed.

"What's the meaning of life"? Aang asked aloud, knowing his teacher would reply.

"Well, it depends on the life and the person it belongs to. Say for example, a baker, the purpose of his life is different to that of a sage."

"Why do I even bother ? You know Kanbu's not coming home."

"That is questionable. He has come back from things far worse than the Forbidden City."

"Like what ?"

"Say for example, Japan or Korea, both of which are further from home than China's capital. He came back from those in one piece didn't he"?

"He came back from Korea with a cracked skull." Aang reminded him. "And half a stutter, and a mutual hatred with Xiao Xue."

"He came back with his fur and his tail. What more do you want"?

"Maybe for him to come back with his life."

"And when has he failed to do that"?

"Every single time Daitui ! Can't you tell ! There's always this little thing that's changed about him. He got two scars this year, and he can't deny it no matter how hard he tries to hide it. He won't tell me why he came back from Korea with a cracked skull, he won't tell what happened this spring. He won't tell me anything"!

"Because you were perfectly honest with him"?

Aang sighed, his frustration forgotten. "I didn't want to hurt him. He gets hurt enough."

"I see." Daitui put a wing on Aang's shoulders. "We all sin in different ways. I'm sure Kanbuian will forgive you."

Aang felt better, Daitui's infinite wisdom always helped.

Then Xiao Xue crashed in through the window, and landed in a heap on the floor. Blood soaked his white fur and his cloak. He tried to get up, his eyes were dizzy and unfocused. He coughed up blood and tried to pull himself to his feet. He fell from the effort. Aang leapt down and helped him up. The albino's eyes focused on him. "Lord Aang", he gasped. "There's no time for me", he coughed up even more blood. "Your brother, is in danger. He's at the Drops Temple, he's being forced into marriage, under the guise of Lord Ishto. He's going to die. The Drops want him dead." The bat sobbed. "I helped them. It's all my fault. I lead them to him."

"It's okay. We all sin in different ways." Aang turned his attention to Daitui. "Fix him, do whatever it takes I don't care, just don't let him die."

The vulture nodded. "I'm guessing I don't need to ask where you're going"?

"To help my brother." Aang said through gritted teeth as he flew out the broken window. If the drops gave his little bro so much as a paper cut he would flay the lot of them and let the sun boil their blood.

* * *

Saras felt butterflies infest his stomach the second he noted where he was. The Drops Temple. Undoubtedly one of the most romantic places on earth to get married in. The kit sat down, he was hungry, and food was being distributed to the guests, but Saras knew that anything he ate wouldn't stay down for more than two minutes.

* * *

Jiao'ao looked doubtfully at the plate in front of him, next to him sat his father, Lord La, who was currently munching an exquisite dumpling. Jiao'ao had what looked like a bloody bean bun.

"The Lady Mei Ling is certainly a worthy daughter. She is throwing her life into the hands of a stranger for the sake of family."

"Well, life is a big word." Jiao'ao mumbled.

Lord La laughed, but it sounded somewhat forced. "Shall we say she is throwing away her chance at love then"?

That hit one of Jiao'ao's nerves. "Yes", he said through a tight beak. Jiao'ao felt sick to the stomach. He was her best friend it was his job to make sure she got the wedding she deserved, and he couldn't stop some shapeshifting kit from doing something he was probably too young to do. Jiao'ao picked up the bloody bean bun and dropped it on his robes. "Oh no. I'll have to go change now." He got up and walked out, barely concealing his fury. Fate was so unfair. He loved Mei Ling, he wanted her to be happy. He knew deep down that Kanbujian had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He would head to the Forbidden City. Change clothes, and bring his sword along. He would challenge Saras for Mei Ling's hand in marriage. It would bring dishonor upon him, upon his family, and possibly ruin his friendships with both the bride and groom. But he couldn't care less. It was his only choice. With a heavy heart he walked towards his home.

* * *

Ji Rou paced anxiously, her heart fluttering. Naan was leaning against a wall and Hong Ze was doing the same.

"Where is he"? She asked noone in particular. "Ishto should have arrived ages ago."

"Ji Rou relax, we still have plenty of time", Hong Ze reassured.

"No we don't. It's about to start." Naan corrected.

* * *

Chang Shuimian stood at the altar. He could tell from some of the guest's faces that this had not been the kind of priest they had expected, what with him being completely naked. Next to him, looking incredibly uncomfortable was Saras. A small rabbit whispered something into the stork's ear, Saras recognized him as the tour guide from the Forbidden City. The priest turned, and leaned down, pivoting his tail upwards. Saras looked away, deciding that the last thing he wanted to see at this point was the avian's feathery ass. It left him feeling even more uncomfortable when he remembered that a hell of a lot of people were watching.

He was somewhat more uncomfortable and yet at the same time, incredibly relieved when his wedding finally started moving. Then he felt so much more uncomfortable when Mei Ling walked up and stood next to him. Somehow it made her seem that much bigger than him. He gulped audibly as Chang Shuimian began speaking next.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today, to witness the holy matrimony between, the Lord Ishto and the Lady Mei Ling. Mei Ling, do you vow, that under all circumstances you will remain faithful to your husband, for as long as the two of you are together"?

"I-I do", she squeaked.

"And do you, Ishto, vow that under all circumstances you will remain faithful to your wife, for as long as the two of you are together"?

Saras gulped. "I-I do", he felt sweat trickling down his brow, his heart racing faster than he could ever remember.

"Give me your paws", the stork demanded.

Mei Ling slowly lifted her own, and Saras felt her warm fur press against his, if only for a few seconds.

Chang Shuimian withdrew a large dagger from his feathers, and nipped the tip of their paws, and let a single drop of blood fall from each fox, to land and mingle in a goblet.

"When you have both drinked from the goblet, you are husband and wife."

The two stared at each other. This was not how a wedding was meant to go. The bride was meant to bring tea to her parents. And the groom to his. And then they would swap and serve each other's parents wine. Then there was all the other little details, like dowry, and had Ishto even proposed. Saras didn't remember going to a matchmaker either.

"Why don't you go ahead and show her how it's done"? Chang Shuimina asked, edging far too close into Saras' personal space.

"I-I can't. I have a confession to make." He gulped and turned to the guests. "I'm not Ishto, my name is Saras Kanbujian Kanbu Shifty, and all I want is to go home." Mei Ling fainted. At first Saras thought it was from relief, then he noted that all the guests were tumbling over each other, and falling asleep. Saras blinked. "B-b-but"-

Chang Shuimian cackled. "You are ever so gullible. A simple sleeping drought is enough to send them all to bed. By morning they will all be wondering what happened. You however won't make it till morning." Saras was sent flying by a strong gust of wind, that sent him crashing into a vein-like pillar. He slid onto the ground, his body shivering violently.

Then he heard a familiar voice that made his blood run cold.

"Hello again. Long time no see, am I right"? A figure dressed all in black stalked towards him.

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaand it seeeeeems Saras isn't getting married any time soon.  
_

 _Chang Shuimian, who isn't really a major character in this story, means 'long sleep', and is named after the most memorable thing he does. :)_

 _So, if you didn't see the twist that Xueye and Saras are brothers coming, well you weren't meant to. I dropped a few hints, but I can't even remember any of them right now. There's going to be another twist with this little family tree, so stay tuned._

 _As to the identity of the figure in the hood. I dropped even less hints, and mentioned them once in the entire story. Still, I'll be impressed if you can guess who they are._

 _Xueye is such a fun character to write. He's so fun to make creepier and creepier, while also developing who he is._

 _Juda was a character made to be evil, so I didn't really know what to do with her. While she does seem like an unnecessary little extra, I do plan on giving her some token of appreciation in the next few chapters._

 _Xiao Xue, loyal to the last, even if he did make mistakes. But we all make those, don't we.  
_

 _Speaking of which this fic is nearly done, we're not quite there yet, but yes, the end is near. In like three chapters.  
_


	13. A Hundred Steps Ahead of the Game

Badr Tamod had looked better. The first time Saras had met him he had been the suave host of his own family tournament. Now he was... He had looked better. His left arm was gone, with a hideous looking wound where the feline's shoulder had once been. His left eye, or what was left of it, was covered by an eye patch. His fur was still as black as ebony. But his clothes...He had once worn a regal cloak of black over a golden pair of pants with a golden vest of chain. Although his outfit hadn't changed the beauty of it all had vanished. The gold was beginning to rust, showing that it was really just copper or iron. His pants were torn in several places. And he stunk. He smelled like he hadn't had a bath in a _long_ time. He stunk of sweat, wet dog and sour onion. But the worst feature he currently possessed was the look of glee he had when he noted Saras' form, frozen as it was in fear and in shock.

"Hello, _shapeshifter_ ". He spat the word out like it was venom. His claws expanded and in a second he was pulling Saras by the jumper so that they were face to face. The smell of sour onion poured out of Badr's mouth as he spoke next. "Do you remember me"? He asked, his revolting features even more excited by the enticing thought of revenge.

Saras gulped. "Yeah. I remember yo"-

Badr let go of the kit's jumper and promptly punched him, it hurt but Saras had taken worse. The fox brought both arms up and would have clapped the feline's ears, but Badr had ducked, and sent the kit flying with a sudden uppercut. "Good you remember. Do you remember what you said to me the last time we spoke. What was it we were discussing again ? Oh yes, we were talking about my daughter's death. What was it you said again ? _Good riddance_ "! Badr charged forwards again and brought his fist down on Saras' gut, winding the shapeshifter, before lifting him by the throat and throwing him into a wall. He charged forwards again, but this time Saras teleported out of the way. Badr spun around, to see the shapeshifter, a safe distance away from him.

"So I said some things I regret", Saras managed to gasp out. "But that doesn't mean you have to kill me. I _bloody saved_ Safi when Duyao tried to assa"-

Badr charged again. "You saved _noone_. If you're the hero you claim to be you would have rescued her in the end "!

Saras teleported away again, somewhat regaining his calm. "And when did I ever claim to be a hero"?

"You'll _pay_ for this you"-

Chang Shuimian spoke next, calmly, though with a hint of cruel enjoyment. "Badr calm yourself. You're not the only one that wants him."

Saras turned to the stork. "And what did I ever do to you"?

"Nothing. Oh no, you're not going to die for what you did. But rather, what you are. You see I can sense chi, and powerful chi only comes around once in a while. Especially a Jit Kun's chi. You have no idea what you have inside you, do you"? He drawled, incredibly pleased by the confused look on the kit's face. Chang waved his wings, a gust of wind pushing the still-sleeping guests into the side of the prayer hall, where they wouldn't take that much space. "Well it will take too long to explain anyways, but let's just say I want what's inside you."

"And the hemomancer ? He's with you guys as well ?" Saras asked, incredibly confused, with another nervous tingle spreading throughout his body.

"Of course I am. My job was to chase you here." The hemomancer appeared right on cue, his body forming out of the very same goblet Saras had been asked to drink from.

"But, you didn't know where I was going." Saras replied weakly.

All three of them burst out laughing. "This was all planned shapeshifter. Your little Bat Cave has a mole, all we needed was that little mole to feed us everything we needed to know about you. And then we could predict every little step you made. You were sent to Pinqu to uncover the mysterious disappearance of one of your agents. You have three guesses as to who orchestrated _his_ murder. Then the hemomancer could follow you all the way to your little cave, and guess who he found just waiting to be caught." Chang replied, looking incredibly smug.

"So Jiao'ao"?

"Was the none the wiser. In fact he's another one we have to deal with, for Badr's sake anyways. We just managed to intercept a letter his father wrote to him, and knew all the details of his travelings. Then all I had to do was chase you two into each other." The hemomancer answered, leaning against a wall, with a carefree look of smugness planted firmly on his muzzle.

"What about the triads"? Saras' mind couldn't process all the information. He wasn't this stupid.

"Well, Huangse was supposed to finish them, but that didn't go too well. We were nearly ruined when Hong Ze found you, but who could guess our luck. You went and decided to play at being a Lord. And now instead of just having you, we have a triad cell, Lord La's only son and heir, you and the Lord of the Bat Cave."

"Aang"? Saras' heart was pumping so fast. He had played himself, him, the triads, Jiao'ao they had all played right into Chang's wing. But Aang, he had nothing to do with any of this.

"Xiao Xue mistook our very own Xueye for you. And that went quite well, of course. We recruited him, and he has just convinced your dear, sweet brother to come to your rescue."

Saras balled his paws into fists, and growled. He should have listened to Xueye. He shouldn't have come...it was too late now. "And what do you want from _him_ "?! His voice shook with rage.

"The same thing we want from you. You have the power of the Jit Kun Crystal in your chi, once we have that"- Chang explained.

Badr cut him off. "He doesn't need to know. Right now all he has to do is prepare to die."

Huangse Kongju and Xueye entered from two side doors. The former grinning wickedly, the latter looking quite queasy. Saras blinked as he stared into Xueye's light brown eyes. _Huh, I guess you really are my brother._ Then that clicked in his head. The Drops had outfoxed him time and time again, but their was one thing they didn't know and he did. _We're of the same blood._ Saras' eyes read like a pair of books. _Help me_. Xueye stared at his feet, and scratched at his nose. That made the shapeshifter's blood boil. Then Chang triggered him.

"Have fun boys." Badr, Huangse and the hemomancer all raced towards him, while Xueye looked on, worried, and Chang watched with a look of satisfaction on his face.

 _I'll give you satisfaction !_ Saras teleported in front of the stork and opened the avain's cheek with his sharp little claws. He then followed up with the Backstabber's Leg Sweep, twisting his feet right into Chang's, tripping the stork, who fell hard on his back. He was about to dish out the _real pain_ when someone infinitely stronger than him lifted him above the ground. Huangse's grinning face hovered in front of his own, quite out of punching distance. The lion's claws flew out of his paw. Saras closed his eyes, preparing for the pain, when suddenly Naan's strong bony fist crashed into the feline's gut. The Yellow Terror dropped the vulpine as Naan followed up with a sudden uppercut that sent the big cat reeling. Ji Rou lent Saras a paw and pulled the kit to his feet. Hong Ze drew a pair of scimitars and clicked his neck.

"Chang, you said you would deal with them"! Badr complained, helping the much bigger feline to his feet.

The stork gave him a look. "They were meant to get something to eat."

"Well they didn't"! The cat complained.

"Are you guys gonna kill each other ? Coz that totally would save me the trouble of having to do it myself".

The two sides stared each other down, Xueye looking unsure as he stood in the corner of the room. Then the doors of the temple burst open and Jiao'ao walked in, now carrying a huge sword across his back, still in it's sheath. " _I object_ "! Then he blinked out of confusion. "Er, is this the right temple"?

"Get them". Chang said in a voice that shook with rage, despite it's trying to remain calm.

* * *

Daitui lifted the large bat precariously and lay him down safely on a mattress, before getting to work with the drawers, looking for the bandages he would need.

"I've made a lot of mistakes Daitui", Xiao Xue spoke weakly.

"Yes, well nobody's perfect." The vulture replied absently.

"Forgive me Daitui". The sound of a crossbow being loaded made the vulture stop for a second, before turning around to catch the bolt mid air as it flew towards him. He snapped it in half and dropped it's broken pieces onto the ground.

"That's interesting. You faked your wounds ?" Daitui asked coldly, two knives sliding out from underneath his wings.

"Why not, eh"?

"Why yes is a more appropriate question Xiao Xue. Betraying the Bat Cave, I never thought you'd stoop so low. I'm going to haphazard a guess that Aang is flying towards a trap"?

"You're so clever, Daitui", Juda slithered into the room.

"You as well"? The vulture asked, as if this stab in the back was an everyday occurrence.

"Of course. You see, your sweet little children are part of something their little minds could never hope to understand, nor yours. Their sacrifice shall be for the greater good."

"Okay, you're insane. And you Xiao Xue, are you in on this nonsense as well"?

"Nah, I'm just tired of being second rate."

"Very well. Let's settle this." _Okay, I have to get these two out of the way, and then I have to save my Lord's butt. All in a day's work, isn't it Shadow ?_

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaand it was Badr, I guarantee noone thought of the poor miserable little cat, did they ? Hehehehehe, well it's not really a big reveal coz I didn't tease him enough, but hey, first time.  
_

 _I'm also pretty proud of how everything came together so far._

 _On another note the next chapter may not come out for a long time. Probably because it is my new way of writing fight scenes, but more on that in my next footnote._

 _Finally, I just have to point out that I'm so proud that one of my stories managed to get 30K words at 13 Chapters._

 _Enjoy and Update soon._


	14. Shadows

**A/N: Well this was... waaaay too hard to write the way I originally wanted to. At first it was going to be some 1000K word chapter with all the fights in one place.  
**

 **But that was just too hard. The fights were all too long to put in one chapter. But it would get confusing to have to write a bit for each fight in a different chapter.**

 **So instead of giving you a couple of chapters with bits of each fight, I made every fight into it's own chapter. So...that's a looooooot.**

 **That's all I have to say here, enjoy.**

Juda struck first. Darting forwards suddenly she made to crash into him. Daitui, however, had seen the move coming. He smirked a little.

Juda crashed into the wall. She turned sharply, unhurt but pissed off, to see a shadow of Daitui standing where the vulture had been a moment before. The shadow wore a small smirk.

Xiao Xue cocked his head to the side, before getting kicked in the side by the real Daitui.

"What the hell did you do ?" Juda asked, before suddenly darting forwards again.

The vulture threw a knife out of his wing, which pinned Xiao Xue to the wall, before blocking Juda's tail as it swung around to hit him.

"Oh that trick with the shadow ?" Suddenly the Daitui Juda was facing became a shadow, letting the python's tail fall straight through his wing. She turned suddenly, only to receive an uppercut that caught her on the chin. "Just my Shadow Swapping Technique. Nothing much really."

Xiao Xue barreled into him from the side. Before bringing his wing down on the vulture. "You're not the only one with surprises, vulture."

Despite having been punched in the face Daitui remained calm. "Yes, well it's only a surprise if I don't see it coming."

Juda got up. Daitui swapped places with his shadow again, slapping the back of the python's head with his wing, before swapping back to where Xiao Xue was and kicking him right in the face. He followed this up by high-fiving his shadow.

"You can give up at any time." Daitui mocked them, casually dusting off his feathers.

"I don't think so !" Juda spat out viciously, before swinging with her tail. Daitui ducked, and winced as the wall took the hit for him, a small crater forming where she had struck the wood. She swung again, and Daitui ducked dutifully. He straightened up only for Juda to pounce on him.

The python hit the wall again as she flew past the shadow. Daitui, however, had repeated the same trick once too often. Xiao Xue stood waiting for him, and as soon as the shadow swapped places with the vulture, he landed an uppercut that caught Daitui on the chin.

"Surprising enough for you ?" Xiao Xue jabbed forwards suddenly, but Daitui blocked, before retaliating with a kick that caught Xiao Xue in the gut and knocked the wind out of him.

Daitui got up, and threw two feather-shaped throwing knives at Juda, who avoided both...only to recieve a slap to her head as Daitui swapped with his shadow again.

Xiao Xue bit his lip, and tried to think of everything he knew about Daitui. He was old, and not particularly strong. He clearly had incredible magical potential, but had never shown any kind of ability to take immense amounts of pain in any way, shape or form. Maybe if he managed to get a direct hit...

He had no more time to think as Daitui shot a throwing knife his way, Xiao Xue caught it, only for it to become a shadow in his wings. He heard Juda's cry of pain as the knife that had been meant for him caught her on the tip of the tail.

"I didn't want to have to fight this way, but you brought it upon yourselves." Daitui said in a voice that was both sad and angry at the same time. He then released two more knives.

Foreseeing that Daitui would not repeat the same trick twice Xiao Xue blocked the knife that came his way, only for Juda to have to frantically dodge the pair as Xiao Xue's wing flew straight through the shadow. He then looked up to see Daitui's talons coming his way.

The vulture wore a pair of Talon Claws, and Xiao Xue really wished he didn't, as the metal sliced through fur and skin alike, creating two, long gashes from his right ear down to his lip. Crimson blood poured through the wound, blood that stood out almost horrifically against his snowy white fur.

Daitui followed up by grabbing the bat by the throat and slamming him against the wall. "I wonder which hell do traitors go to ?" He said, not bothering to hide his hate any longer, though his voice remained calm and steady.

"He won't be going to hell anytime soon !" Juda struck Daitui hard across the back, before wrapping the vulture up in her coils, and squeezing hard.

Daitui found his breath cut short, and his lungs getting crushed. To make matters worse Xiao Xue seemed more or less unharmed. Standing up, with a face of unhidden rage the bat punched him right across the face.

Daitui found a knife hidden amongst his feathers, and thrust it into Juda's tight coils.

Hissing madly the python released him at such speeds that he was made to spin around in a small circle.

He eventually came to a dizzying halt. He looked up just in time to see Xiao Xue's wing curl up and crash into his chin, with such force that it knocked him into the air. Juda leapt up to meet him, and smashed her coils into his chest, knocking him backwards into a wall.

Xiao Xue finished him off with one of the vulture's own throwing knives. "See you in hell I guess !" The metal plunged into the avian's throat. Blood poured out all over the place as the bird struggled for a few moments, before drowning in his own blood. "Good riddance !" Xiao Xue spat.

Juda clicked her neck. "Is it over already ? I didn't even get started." She bragged.

"Oh good. I was hoping you two had more in store for me."

They both turned their heads with a shared gasp as Daitui stood opposite them, leaning against a wall, looking both alive and incredibly smug.

"How did you"- Juda was about to ask.

"The Duplication Technique isn't too hard to master for the average chi practitioner. Of course, I think you noticed I'm well above average. I only ever managed to make one clone, though. Still one is more than enough. Especially for the likes of you." Daitui replied nonchalantly. "Shall we continue where we left off ?"

Snarling Xiao Xue charged forwards.

Only for the door to crash into his face as it was slammed open;cutting short what would have been an extremely flashy move.

"Daitui !" The vulture was charged upon by a different bat. Shan Qu attached himself to his Master's chest, and held tightly. "You have no idea how long I've been looking for you !"

Jixiao's attention was taken by someone else. "Juda." He blinked awkwardly, as if he couldn't process the presence of his ex-wife.

The python blinked in confusion, before rushing forwards and picking him up by the tail;hanging him upside down so that they were face to face. "You have a hell of a lot of explanations to make !"

Xiao Xue got up, feeling incredibly more pissed off than he had at any other time that night. He dug into his cloak. The Drops weren't stupid enough to let him rush straight into the heart of the enemy unarmed. He pulled out a pendant. Badr had warned him that there were only two such pendants in the cat's possession, and to loose them would cause Xiao Xue to loose his life. Of course he had only been given one pendant. Badr had also bragged that the pair of pendants had made the fateful tournament (that had started this whole mess) particularly interesting.

It was risky. It was dangerous. It could cost him his life.

Xiao Xue threw the pendant against the ground.

For a moment nothing happened. Then the pendant split in half down the middle. There was an explosion;as loud and as colourful as a firework, and then standing in front of Xiao Xue, in all it's glory, was the Wu Xing.

It stood at around the height of a buffalo. It was made of boulders. Boulders that combined together to form the rough shape of a gorilla. It was covered in a thick layer of natural metal;which in turn was covered in a layer of thick, light blue ice, with wooden spines popping out at random. Then to top it all off the whole thing was covered in flames.

Xiao Xue cackled victoriously. "Hehehehe, suck on that Mr. Shadow Clone !"

The Wu Xing charged towards Daitui. The vulture threw aside Shan Qu and took the blow full force. The Wu Xing smashed him against the wall with all it's strength and weight, and fell through entirely, creating a large hole in the room's wall.

"Daitui !" Shan Qu screamed as if in actual pain, before racing out and leaping off the building without any hesitation.

"I'll leave you two lovers to catch up." Xiao Xue said, nodding at Juda and Jixiao. He picked up the pendant and flapped through the hole in the wall to meet his opponents.

* * *

 _Footnote: Aand I have a bit more to say here.  
_

 _Daitui, where do I get started on him ? He's always been a character I wanted to write so badly (and it's not entirely due to his fighting style). He's the mentor character from every book/film you name it ! And his backstroy is sooooo good. But...due to it's nature I'm saving it for next Halloween._

 _So, enjoy the action !_


	15. The Yellow Eyed and the Yellow Terror

**A/N: Aand last chapter's cliffhanger is still up. Sorry guys I love Daitui as much as you, but the main action is over here.**

Jiao'ao grabbed Saras by the back of the kit's cloak and held him back a bit, while the triads charged forwards to meet their opponents. "Shifty. You have three seconds to tell me what the hell is going on, or I swear I'm going to give you the thrashing of your lifetime !"

"Uh, it's a really long story." Saras replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

"How long ?"

"About thirty thousand words ?"

Jiao'ao sighed. "One. Two"-

"Can't I tell you after we're done fighting the bad guys ?"

Jiao'ao's grip tightened on Saras' cloak. " _Three_."

"Okay, okay, fine ! Basically Badr wants me dead because I failed to save his daughter from Duyao. Chang Shuimian wants me dead because he wants my chi for something, and he also sort of wants my family as well. Xueye is my brother, because he says he is. Hong Ze saved my life so I had to pretend to be Ishto to pay back the triads, while they rob the real Ishto, and I stall everyone by pretending to marry your crush. Happy ?"

Jiao'ao blinked. "What ?"

Saras sighed before speaking the only language Jiao'ao would listen to. Love. "I don't love, nor do I plan on marrying Mei Ling. So you can 'object' to it all you like. You two suit each other anyways." He said firmly, before muttering something about how they were both 'great big bullies'.

Jiao'ao looked bashful. Before stumbling over his own explenation. "She deserves better than. She's been my best friend since forever and I couldn't let her marry someone like you. I'm sorry I doubted you-"

"Look Jiao'ao, you don't have to explain. I'd have done the same."

"Okay. Fine. What do we do now ?"

"Er, friends ?" Saras held out a paw awkwardly, which Jiao'ao took in his wing and shook.

"Friends."

"Will you stop shaking appendages and help me already ?!" Came Hong Ze's frustrated cry as he dodged one of Badr's punches and deflected one of Chang Shuimian's shuriken with his scimitar.

The Hemomancer was currently dueling Ji Rou, who was forced into defensive from the near constant barrage of blood balls that were being thrown at her.

Naan tackled Huangse Kongju and pushed him into one of the doors, which crashed open with a resounding crash. The pair of them disappearing into the corridor behind it.

Xueye was watching it all with an uncertain expression on his features.

Saras snapped into combat mode. "I'll take Badr, you help Ji Rou with the Hemomancer." The kit let let his short claws stand out as he leapt forwards, only to be caught by the back of the shirt.

"No. Think logically. Like if you're playing chess."

"Chess ?"

"It's a game of tactics and logistics."

"I know what it is !"

"Then why are you asking ?"

Saras had no reply to that other than. "Just explain already."

Jiao'ao sighed as if the answer was obvious. "Badr wants you. If you give him what he wants he'll only fight harder. _I'll_ deal with Badr, _you_ deal with the Hemomancer."

Just then Badr caught Hong ze on the chin. The elk was knocked back a bit. Jiao'ao didn't hesitate. He spun around in a small circle. Blue chi sprung from his wings and surrounded him in a bubble. One that spun towards Badr...

The attack caught the feline all over, and sent him hurtling into the wall behind him.

Hong Ze got to his feet. "Took you long enough." He said, a bit sourly. He then dashed forwards towards Chang Shuimian.

Saras teleported behind the Hemomancer, and opened the wolf's back with a strong slash of his claws. Howling in rage the Hemomancer spun around and caught the kit full in the face with a blood ball. One that sent Saras flying backwards into a wall.

Or what he thought was a wall but was really a sheet of paper.

Saras landed on his tail, in what appeared to be an old, decrepit library. He blinked. "Er, this wasn't here before."

The Hemomancer didn't bother using words, and threw two more balls of crimson water at the fox, who dodged both;allowing them to crash into the ancient bookshelves and knock them over, sending ancient manuscripts flying hither and thither.

Ji Rou dashed forwards, kicking the lupine straight in the spine and knocking him into the library as well. Saras teleported next to him and slashed his claws across his face, making three small, neat little cuts on the wolf's face.

He got up suddenly, as if pulled up by some unearthly power, and caught Saras by the throat, before sending him flying into a bookshelf. He spun on his heels and caught Ji Rou's first kick, but was unable to catch the second as she performed a back-flip, one that sent her other foot-paw into his chin;and thereby forced him to release her leg.

A bit disoriented by the kick the Hemomancer was unable to block Saras' Backstabber's Leg Sweep, which knocked the lupine off his feet and onto his back.

"Xueye !" The Hemomancer cried.

Reluctantly the fox poked his head into the library, looking as if he was about to throw up. "Yes master ?"

"Help me !" The Hemomancer demanded, rising to his feet and sending two more balls of blood that hurtled after Saras. The shapeshifter wasn't fast enough for either, and they bothe caught him on the chest, knocking him straight through one of the bookshelves.

Ji Rou swung at him and smashed her fist against the Hemomancer's face, knocking out one of his teeth. "Don't you dare touch my didi !"

Xueye gasped. Ji Rou gasped. And the Hemomancer sent her flying with a ball of blood that caught her on her chest. "Xueye. Deal with her. That is an order."

"Yes master." He said guiltily, as he turned away from the bookshelf Saras had disappeared behind, so as to properly face his opponent.

Suddenly blood came flowing from the hemomancer like a river, as it crept along the surface of the wooden floorboards. It rose in the air like some great, gory fire that would swallow up the whole world. The blood soared up and wrapped around each other, creating a large crimson semisphere, with Xueye and Ji Rou bothe trapped inside it.

The Hemomancer walked off. "You'll forgive me if I don't trust you entirely Xueye. It's just I don't want anyone to interrupt." The Hemomancer disappeared behind the bookshelves.

* * *

Naan and Huangse Kongju stared each other down for a long while. The cat stood straight, showing off his impressive size. Naan was a bit less than half the feline's height, but stood unintimidated.

Huangse Kongju drew a pair of katanas, which were as wide as cleavers and as sharp as daggers.

Naan let two blades of bone slide out of his arms' bandages, where they became a pair of long, sharp extensions to his arms.

The Yellow Terror struck first, or rather charged first. He swung with one of his blades, but Naan was quick enough to parry the blow with his own bony blade. Naan followed up with a swing of his own blade, which scratched the lion's armour, but the gash made was not deep enough to draw any blood or pierce any flesh. Huangse used Naan's opening to swing around and try and catch the triad on the back with his katana, which was blocked by three spines of bone that sprung out from Naan's elbow, catching the blade mid-swing and preventing himself from being wounded. For a moment they paused, locked as they were.

Naan then suddenly struck first with a headbutt, one that knocked the wind out of the lion, and broke him out of their lock. He then followed up with a swing that caught Huangse on the chest and sent him back reeling, before finishing him off by smashing his spiny elbows across the feline's nose.

Naan watched as the lion crumpled into the ground, before walking back towards the main prayer room to help his colleagues. His bones slid back into his bandages, which moved back to cover where they were. Only to hear the familiar sound of a crossbow whirring towards him. He spun on his heel and caught the bolt right in front of his face. He snapped the bolt in half as Huangse Konju got back up, simultaneously reloading his crossbow. The feline let the bolt fly again and Naan slapped it out of the air, letting it clatter into the wall.

Glaring at each other they charged once again.

The feline swung madly with his fist, which Naan avoided with ease. The feline followed up by smashing the crossbow across the triad's face. Naan was sent reeling, and was promptly kicked right in the spine. He fell forwards, before turning to lie on his back.

Huangse Kongju charged forwards and pounced, raising the blades he had somehow managed to reacquire. Naan raised his arms to block. Hundreds of small, tiny spines of bone pushed out from between the bandages, blocking the blades as they smashed into his arms. The blades failed to cut anything, blocked as they were by the bones. Naan raised his legs under the lion, before kicking out, and smashing them into his gut.

Naan let his bones grow a bit, trapping the blades inbetween them, he moved them away from his chest, opening the gap between him and Huangse. Naan reared up and brought his head crashing into Huangse's. Slightly disoriented Huangse was unable to do anything as Naan wrapped his legs around the lion's neck, before rolling backwards, and bringing the feline with him.

Huangse collided with the floor head-first, before Naan rolled on top of him, the triad's legs still around his neck. Having reversed the position Naan followed up by smashing a bony knuckle into the lion's face.

Huangse spat blood onto Naan's eyes, temporary blinding him. The triad punched the lion repeatedly across the face, despite not being able to see. Huangse got to his feet, the triad still stubbornly hanging onto his neck with his legs. Naan although situated precariously did not relent for even a second and released punch after punch across his face.

Incredibly pissed Huangse charged forwards, making Naan's head crash into the wall, forcing him to release his grip on the lion's neck. Naan slid down the wall and landed on his back. Huangse followed up by slamming a foot into the triad's gut.

Huangse didn't relent for even one moment, and brought his fist crashing down into Naan's face. Naan took the hit, and masked his pain. Tucking his feet in under him he brought them both between the lion's legs. The Yellow Terror crumpled. Naan took the opportunity and got to his feet.

He wasn't hurt too badly. He was a bit sore, but was more or less unharmed. He was still in fighting condition.

Unfortunately so was Huangse.

As the lion got up and charged forwards. Naan's glowing, yellow eyes suddenly changed. Suddenly three black wheels began circling inside each of his round yellow eyes. Naan waited for the Yellow Terror to arrive.

Huangse Kongju released his claws and slashed the place where Naan had been a few moments before. The triad intercepted the blow and jabbed forwards with his bony blade now sticking out of his right arm.

The sharp bone struck the lion's armour and cut deeply. Blood gushed out from around the bone as Huangse Kongju cried out in pain. Naan silenced him with a fist covered in small spikes of bone, which crashed into the feline's chin. Naan followed up by pulling out his blood-covered blade and smashing his foot into the cat's knee.

Instead of crumpling like he had done several times before. Huangse did something Naan and his Sharingan could never see coming.

The lion bit him. The feline's long, sharp teeth plunged through the black rice hat and sunk through the bandages. Naan screamed in pain as the fangs tore through his grey flesh, hidden as it normally was, from the rest of the world. Pain. It was not something Naan felt often, what with his technique being about as close to unhurt-able as possible. His bones could pop out his flesh easily and slide back in without any feeling of pain on his part. But if something tried to get through his flesh the other way it hurt ten times more than it should have.

Naan felt something else that was unfamiliar. Blood. His own, warm, light green blood, pouring out the top of his head and soaking his black and white bandages in their metallic scent.

Naan withdrew his bony blade, and was thrown into the wall by Huangse Kongju. He landed on his feet. He felt incredibly dizzy. The bandages on the top of his head were all light green. His rice hat was nowhere to be seen and he was in more pain than ever before.

Normally his bones would go through his flesh, and when they slid back in the grey skin would converge over itself and heal itself.

This self-healing wasn't working. Blood was still pouring and his head was still aching. Naan narrowed his eyes.

He was going to make this kitty feel pain.

The Yellow Terror pounced forwards, claws outstretched, and aimed a downwards slash.

Naan leapt backwards, avoiding the feline entirely, while simultaneously undoing the bandages around his left arm, and letting them hang along the side of his pale, grey skin, one that looked too much like a rotten corpse for comfort.

Huangse Kongju payed this no mind, and picked up an axe from his belt, which he promptly flung at the triad. Naan sidestepped it, undoing the bandages around his other arm.

They locked eyes for one moment.

Then they charged at each other. The lion slashed with his claws, trying to repeat his earlier success, but Naan couldn't care less. He ducked under both of them, before throwing the bandages that hung along side both arms over the lion, and wrapping their arms together. Simultaneously, Naan kicked off the ground with all the force he could muster.

All the force he could muster was a _lot_ of force. Naan pulled the feline upwards with him, to a height that was about as tall as the temple was. They crashed through floor after floor of wood and marble, before eventually falling short of the temple's roof.

Once mid-air Naan looked the lion right in the eye. Huangse had looked better. His face was purple all over from having smashed through whole floors. His arms were barely connected to their sockets, and his armour had about as many dents in it as the moon itself.

Suddenly, Naan's rib cage burst out of his chest and bit into the feline's own. The Yellow Terror screamed in utter pain as blood welled up around the bones. But Naan wasn't done yet. Twisting around mid-fall the triad forced the lion onto his back. Huangse screamed in pain, the Yellow Terror's eyes full of their own terror, as they plummeted towards the waiting ground.

The crash was resounding. It seemed to shake the earth itself, and created a small crater in the temple floor. As the dust cleared Naan rose.

He was utterly exhausted. All over his body ached and his head was still killing him. He had beaten Huangse Konju the only way he could have.

His Dance of Death. He had learned the technique from a triad cell specializing in explosives. Their technique, if caught, was to latch onto an opponent and blow up every single bit of gunpowder on their body. It was always fatal, for both parties. Naan's technique was similar. While not fatal to him it wasted a lot of the chi his body needed for it's self-healing. It also was painful. The final crash had shook his rib entirely. Now as they slid back into his chest, his grey flesh covering it up, Naan picked up his hat and put it on his head. He replaced the soiled bandages around his arms, before finally letting himself slip down the wall. Naan's eyes fluttered and shut as he fell into an uneasy sort of sleep. He was too weak and too tired to do anything else.

* * *

 _Footnote: Yup, Naan was definitely holding back in House of Tamod. His backstory isn't up for the public yet, but as you can probably tell by his fighting style and his pale grey flesh (or maybe his light green blood ?) he isn't entirely animal...That sounds so wrong XD._

 _And the duels are basically all there and ready. I'd say them all here, but if you're an inattentive reader, that would be spoiling the surprise._

 _Enjoy._


	16. Light Brown Eyes

**A/N: It's not that I've hit a wall with Back in the Day... it's just writing this is soooooo much more fun. But to keep things a bit fair I'm going to promise my readers that the next update is going to be on that... then again the next fight is also looking really interesting sooooo...let's just see can I keep my promise, shall we ?**

Meanwhile on the other side of the temple.

Within the bloody semi-sphere Ji Rou and Xueye stared each other down.

The crimson fox crossed his arms over his chest, his stance was almost casual. But his face seemed mixed between confused, sick and firm. "You seem awfully attached to the shapeshifter." He said in a half snarl.

Ji Rou entered her own stance, which looked far less relaxed then his own. "I wouldn't expect a monster like you to understand love."

"You called him your little brother", Xueye's voice cracked at 'brother'.

Ji Rou looked down. "It's none of your business. I'm not even sure he knows it."

"Fascinating. And how did you figure this out ?" His eyes were both twitching, his voice gradually growing more and more into a snarl.

"Memories." Ji Rou dashed forwards, swinging down at the shorter fox's muzzle. Xueye's expression failed to change as the blow was blocked mid air by a small ball of his blood.

"Like what ?" He snarled fully this time, his claws digging into his arms, so that a small trickle of blood dripped out and landed at his feet. Ji Rou spun in a roundhouse kick, which was blocked by the same ball of blood. Another swing, blocked. Knee, blocked.

Suddenly the blood at Xueye's feet reared up into a snake-like form, and attempted to bite Ji Rou. The triad back flipped away from it, keeping her distance from Xueye.

"I remember the day he was born." Ji Rou replied as a distraction, pulling out a small bottle from her pants. "It was the only day I could call him my brother." She looked down sadly. "Why are you so interested ?" She asked suddenly, looking him straight in the eye, her own ones narrowing as they peered into his light brown irises.

Xueye could not mask his surprise, and looked away from her. "I-I'm just a-asking."

"I had two little brothers you know."

Xueye gulped.

"And we all had our mother's eyes."

He looked around nervously, unable to hide from his own fear.

"Do you know what colour they were ?"

He looked up, just as she flung the whole bottle at him. The ball of blood stopped the bottle mid-air, the bottle shattered upon contact, spilling it's contents onto the crimson liquid.

Xueye screamed in pain as the liquid made contact with his blood. While nothing visible took place, the liquid was burning so bad. Ji Rou took advantage of his distraction and charged forwards, she flipped backwards to avoid the snake of blood, before turning on her heels and swinging at the smaller fox.

The blow caught Xueye hard on the cheek and sent him reeling.

The young hemomancer's eyes widened as Ji Rou swerved past the blood snake, ducked under the ball of blood, switched directions and sent him flying backwards with a roundhouse kick to his chest.

Xueye landed in a pile on the wooden floorboards. He got to his feet slowly, shaking the entire time. "Y-you h-hit me. B-but that's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible." Ji Rou replied simply.

Xueye was shaking like a leaf, his eyes wide, even though there was nothing particularly scary about Ji Rou.

"My mother had light brown eyes. Just like mine." Ji Rou dashed forwards, and grabbed Xueye roughly by the collar, she lifted him up effortlessly, so that they were staring into each other's identical eyes."And just like _both_ my little brothers." Ji Rou threw Xueye roughly to the ground. "I always wondered what became of them". She snorted. "I never thought I'd find out in such a short space of time. What happened to you ?"

Xueye's fear was now apparent. He whimpered pitifully as he climbed to his feet. "A lot of things."

"And you would choose your sicko of a master over your own family ?" Ji Rou was on the verge of snapping. She drew two shuriken and threw them both at Xueye. His blood-snake returned to him, and caught both shuriken, before splitting into hundreds of smaller balls of blood, which Xueye sent flying towards her with a wave of his paw. Ji Rou stood her ground, before turning on her heels, twisting away from two of them, before leaping into the air to avoid the rest. She landed on her feet, glaring daggers at her little brother. Xueye still had the look of someone about to throw up, mixed with incredible fear all over his face, as he held up one paw, before motioning backwards.

Ji Rou turned to see the blood rushing back towards her, faster this time. She leapt over them, but Xueye motioned them to follow after her. She landed on the floor and sprinted in the opposite direction, picking up speed as Xueye continued making the blood rush after her. She raced forwards faster than she could ever remember doing. The semi-sphere of blood was coming closer and closer.

Ji Rou ran forwards and leapt suddenly at the wall of blood. As expected it sent her flying backwards, over the blood balls chasing after her. Landing on her feet she changed directions again and sped right towards the hemomancer's apprentice. When she covered the distance between them she pounced, but overleapt. Ji Rou landed behind him, just as he turned to see what she was doing he scored a direct hit.

Every single blood ball crashed into his back, sending him flying towards her waiting roundhouse kick. The momentum sent him flying even further away, making him crash into the blood wall, which bounced him back onto the ground. Xueye landed in a heap, and tried to get up.

Ji Rou walked over and crouched next to him. "So now that you're here and I'm here. Why don't we have a little family reunion ?"

Xueye pressed his arms against the floorboards, trying to push himself up, only for his paws to be kicked out of the way, forcing him to fall on his face. Ji Rou expected him to do a lot of things. Loose his temper. Try and kill her. But what she didn't expect him to do was start crying.

"I didn't mean to. It's j-just, he's all I ever had. My m-m-master has been there for me while my f-f-family abandoned me."

"We didn't abandon you-"

"They abandoned you too !" He sobbed, tears streaming unchecked down his face. "You remember how it went. When he was born, mum got all sick. A-a-and then dad. D-d-dad s-said we had to leave-" He broke down completely, unable to even make discernible words out anymore.

Ji Rou patted his head lightly. "Shhh, just forget it.

Xueye gulped, and suddenly blasted Ji Rou away with a ball of blood that caught her on the chest and knocked her backwards away from him. He rose, though still shaking like a leaf, and wiped his eyes dry with the back of his paw. "I'm sorry sister. B-but I c-can't betray my master."

"So you'll betray me instead ?" Ji Rou demanded, getting to her feet, glaring at him harder than she had ever glared before.

Xueye did not meet her eye and looked down at his feet. "I don't have a choice."

Ji Rou snapped. "Well then go ahead and kill me. Might as well, don't you think ?" She threw her arms to the side, exposing her body, undefended, unprotected.

Xueye did nothing, but continued gazing intently at his feet, as if they could do anything to stop what was about to happen.

Ji Rou dashed forwards, drawing a long, sharp needle from her pants. She avoided a ball of blood Xueye half-heartedly threw at her, and thrust the needle forwards. Xueye moved out of the way, and grabbed her paw by the wrist. Then only did he make eye contact.

"Please. Don't make me hurt you." He was practically begging, but it was too late Ji Rou had already snapped.

She spun around, and tried to backhand the side of his head, but his Unbreakable Defence leapt up to meet her paw, and blocked the blow. Suddenly she twisted, and pulled him with her, before suddenly coming to a halt and slamming his face into the blood wall. He replied by sending his Unbreakable Defence, hurtling into her gut, winding her and forcing her to release him.

She dashed forwards again, needle in paw, but this time Xueye was ready. Drawing his bat in one fluid motion he blocked the weapon with his own. Xueye followed up by pulling his bat up, and moving it back to swing. He never got the opportunity as Ji Rou slammed the needle into the paw holding the bat. Xueye yelped in pain, before being kicked in the chest, knocking him back several feet.

He got to his feet, and pulled the needle out of his paw, throwing it to the side. "You really shouldn't have done that." Blood poured out of the wound, like water from a well. Ji Rou's eyes widened as all the blood he had used before started crawling back to him. She watched in fascinated horror as the fox surrounded himself in a bubble of crimson, far thicker than the one the Hemomancer had left them in. He locked eyes with hers. He wore an expression of guilt mixed with shame. She was no longer pissed, but seemed to pity what he had become. "I'm sorry." He said, and he meant every word of it.

Then the crimson bubble burst, sending blood flying in every direction. It was too big and too fast to dodge, and hit Ji Rou full force. It sent her flying backwards into the Hemomancer's semi-sphere. Her contact shook the wall, but when Xueye's blood crashed into it the whole thing burst, and blood rained down on them both.

Xueye stalked forwards, still looking guilty and depressed. All the blood fell towards him, or dragged itself towards him. It became a much larger, stronger blood snake, and circled him. He sent it towards his sister's limp form with a heavy heart.

Ji Rou was too weak to resist as the snake tightened it's grip around her and lifted her into the air.

Once again Xueye refused to look her in the eye. He held out one paw, and looked towards the side. "Instant Death Technique". His clenched into a fist.

What was meant to happen was the blood snake was supposed to crush the fox in one fluid motion, giving her a quick and relatively painless death.

Nothing happened. Xueye had expected blood to fly everywhere with a final _squirt_ as she died, but when he looked next Ji Rou was still alive and well, the snake merely holding her in place.

He blinked in confusion, and accidentally met her eyes. "He-he"-

"I don't see why you're laughing. You just tried to _kill_ me." She glared daggers at him.

Xueye looked away. But Ji Rou would not stop talking.

"You make me sick. You can't even look me in the eye. And if you want me dead so bad-"

Xueye fell to his knees and broke down. "I don't have a choice ! I never did ! If I don't kill _you_ then my master will kill _me_ ! He thinks I'm going to betray him, why do you think he left us in the bloody bubble ?!"

Ji Rou felt even more sick. She unwrapped a bottle from one of her pockets, and let it burst into a thousand pieces. The liquid burnt the blood, and caused Xueye to scream in pain. The blood snake burst, sending blood flying in every direction. Ji Rou fell to the floor, landing on her feet. She raced forwards and slammed her foot into Xueye's chin, knocking him backwards, and sending his bat flying out of his grip.

Landing on his back the young hemomancer called the blood back towards him, but Ji Rou was ready. She leapt over the crimson liquid, letting it come to a stop in Xueye's face. He was forced back on his back, and rolled to his feet, only to see Ji Rou's fist hurtling towards him.

"Crap." The fist slammed into the side of his face, and knocked him off his feet, letting him collapse into the ground. Ji Rou followed up by slamming her fist into his spine, before drawing a kunai from one of her pockets and lifting the hapless fox so that they were once again staring into each other's eyes.

Ji Rou's fist was shaking as it clenched tightly around the kunai's handle. Tears streamed down her eyes as she was finally unable to hold back her emotions. " _Go_. Just go." Ji Rou choked out. She let him drop to the ground. Both of them were shaking like leaves.

Xueye slowly got to his feet.

"Your master can't hurt you if you run. And if you fight more I swear I _will_ kill you. Just _go_ !"

Xueye tried to hold back tears, but failed to do so, and turned away from her. Slowly but surely Xueye walked away.

Ji Rou dropped the kunai and fell to her knees. She grabbed the floor in an attempt to steady herself as the world spun around her. Everything she had ever done for the triads...facing her brother had been so much harder. Ji Rou got to her feet and wiped away her tears. She had another brother she needed to save.

* * *

 _Footnote: Do you have any idea how hard it is to write an amazing fight scene ? Well you probably do. But this was just the limit. I needed all the drama, dialogue, action to blend together. And I haven't even gotten to flashbacks yet !  
_

 _So what do you think of this plot twist ? Saras, Xueye and Ji Rou are all siblings. I betcha didn't see that one coming. That's all the reveal this family is getting this story, but later on... hehehe, I'm not making any promises but maybe we get to meet the parents, I've already introduced the father. Oh damn I love to keep people guessing._

 _As for Xueye, things could have gotten a lot worse for him, but his story's not over yet. And neither is Ji Rou's for that matter. Their little family reunion still has a bit more growing to do._

 _Enjoy and Update soon._


	17. The Prince and the Pauper

**A/N: And with several updates of my tourney coming up this fic seems somewhat left out. So more fights to the near death ! I think this fic has about ten chapters left, which I find quite funny seeing as I thought I could end the whole thing in fourteen. Well, I'm also the same person who thought this fic would be done and dusted before March...**

Badr pulled himself out of the wall, looking incredibly pissed. He glared at his avian opponent, his left eye twitching. Jiao'ao held his ground. He had watched Badr fight, and had been amazed by the cat's prowess. But Badr now lacked an arm, and was unarmed, whereas he still had all his appendages and a massive sword.

"I wanted to deal with the shapeshifter first." Badr snarled. "But I might as well start with you."

Jiao'ao cringed. _Why did people always have to say some stupid punch line before they fight ?_ Jiao'ao lifted the sword in both his wings, and pointed the blade at Badr's chest.

Badr made the first move. He ran forwards on all threes, closing the distance between them as if their had never been any. The cat swung with his only arm, but Jiao'ao twisted his sword, and caught the blow on the flat of it. Badr, however, was faster than he had anticipated, and slammed his foot into the peacock's throat. Jiao'ao was momentarily stunned, and was therefore unable to block the fist that crashed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Badr followed up by slicing the wings that held the blade with his claws. Jiao'ao let the blade clatter to the floor, before getting punched right in the face. He fell to the ground, only to see the cat's foot coming his way in a roundhouse kick. Jiao'ao lifted his wings in front of his face, and caught the kick. The force of the blow sent a shock of pain shivering down his wings. He recieved no respite as he was sent flying backwards by a kick that caught him square in the chest.

Jiao'ao got to his feet and puffed. Badr was faster than he had anticipated. Badr was faster than he remembered. And right now Badr was lifting a massive sword.

"Death has made me stronger, hasn't it ?" Badr drawled now, almost certain of his victory. "I considered sparing you, you know. You are set to inherit a great responsibility. Great power." Badr chuckled. "If only I had been born into great power. Maybe then you wouldn't have to die. But let's face it, that would just be boring !"

Badr charged again, this time trailing the sword behind him. The blade sliced the marble floor, shooting sparks everywhere.

Jiao'ao closed his eyes and focused. Blue chi rose from his wings, and climbed around him to form a protective bubble. Badr narrowed his eyes, but didn't stop his charge. He leapt upwards, and brought Jiao'ao's sword down towards the bubble. As the blade connected it was bounced back upwards and slammed back into the cat's nose, albeit without the necessary force to kill the cat. From inside the bubble Jiao'ao expanded his train, and spun. Badr's eyes widened as the blue bubble came hurtling towards it. The first time he had seen it in action it had burnt a monster of skeletons to cinders. Badr leapt upwards to avoid the spinning bubble of blue death. Jiao'ao's bubble crashed into the pillar, sending blood red marble pillar pieces flying everywhere. The bubble dissipated. Jiao'ao looked somewhat disappointed that he had missed Badr.

"So we're using chi now, are we ?" Badr grinned sinisterly and shut his eyes. Bright yellow swirls of energy spun round his paws. When he next opened his eyes they glowed bright yellow.

Jiao'ao's eyes widened. He should have seen that coming.

Badr raced towards him, sending dust from the crumpled pillar flying. He swung for the peacock, and caught Jiao'ao square in the chest, the avian's wings raised too slow to block. Badr followed up with a back flip, which sent a foot slamming against the underside of Jiao'ao's beak, and sent the peacock flying backwards. Badr landed on his feet, and charged again, bringing his foot down against the bird's unprotected chest. Jiao'ao felt the wind pushed out of him, as Badr followed up by slamming his fist into face.

He felt almost dizzy, he was unable to breathe and the edges of his vision was going black.

"Now you see how clever I am, don't you ? Half the Lords and Ladies of China in one room. All fast asleep and unprotected. The only ones protecting them are nobodies like you. You don't even have a title. You're pathetic. You were born into power. But I earned it." Badr leapt off of Jiao'ao, and punched him in the face again. Badr turned away from the peacock's limp form. His Iron Paw subsided, and retreated back into him. He withdrew a pendant from his cloak, and threw it against the marble floor. There was an explosion; as loud and as colourful as a firework.

Jiao'ao rose slowly, his head aching heavily. He got to his feet shakily. "You're wrong. I worked hard to get this far." He entered his stance, his knees knocking into each other, his head spinning, his wings trembling. "And I'm not going to let you take that from me."

"You don't really have a choice." Badr smirked, as he turned to face the peacock.

Jiao'ao's body trembled even more, shaking all over, as if he was in the middle of an earthquake. Then he noticed that a few pieces of rubble were also shaking. He looked straight at Badr's evil smirk.

Then a Mongolian Deathworm smashed through the marble and closed it's jaws over the peacock's form.

Badr cackled like a witch as the worm slithered out of the spot Jiao'ao had been standing on mere moments before. It was armoured with an exo-skeleton, which covered it's entire body, small spikes popping out where there were gaps in the armour. At the head were no eyes but a gigantic maw. At first there was just a long gullet, then teeth as long as spears and as sharp as swords, and finally four rotating triangular spines that formed into a pyramid like beak. It's plates were of varying shades of light and dark brown, while under them the skin was bright pink. It was also huge. Badr had no idea how deep underground it was, but if it's movements could shake a temple, he had no doubt it was as large as the building itself. And best of all, it was his. It coiled around him, leaving a large gap between him and it's spines, before turning it's humongous head to look right at Badr. The cat smiled. "Hello my dear. How have you been ? Too pent up, are we ?" He reached out a paw, and patted the creature's beak. "There, there. You must be very hungry ? I'm sure the peacock was a nice appetizer. But how about a little more ?" Badr grinned as he set his sights on the sleeping nobles.

While Badr was admiring his beauty, Jiao'ao was sliding down the dry, earth-like gullet of the beast. It felt like sand all around him, not at all what he had expected. It was itching him all over, and was more than a little annoying. After what felt like years of sliding through empty space he landed in a pit of muddy-coloured sand. He tried to rise, and tilted himself upright, only for the lower half of his body to sink into the sand. The weight of it was immense, and the itching sensation continued. He felt it, crushing at his thin frame, sliding into his clothes, biting at his feathers.

Jiao'ao sighed. He had predicted that the wedding would be a disaster, but had never expected it to go this badly. He grimaced, and tried to pull himself out once again, but only slipped in deeper, so that the sand was now pressing against his chest, and pinning his wings to his side.

 _Maybe I should just give up. I'm sure my brothers will be happy to see me..._ Jiao'ao pondered.

 _Yeah, but they won't like you dead._ His inner voice replied.

 _What am I supposed to do then ? There's no point. Even if I do get out of this, there's still Badr. I can't beat him, he's too fast._

 _Ah, but what if he couldn't hit you ?_

 _I don't have enough chi left to spin again._

 _Bullshit ! You just don't want to._

Jiao'ao sunk until his neck, now only his neck and head stuck out from his sandy grave.

 _I can't !_

 _Yes you can ! Your dad is out there right now-_

 _And if I save myself he's going to make me be a Lord. There's no fun in that, all I do is talk, eat, write and try not to get assassinated._

 _Yes, but can't a Lord change that._

 _Well i can't. Centuries of traditions-_

 _Which were meant to be broken._

 _Shut up brain ! I give up, that's it. It's over._

The sand sucked at his neck, pulling him down until only his head stuck out from the sand. Naturally his inner voice went into hyper-drive.

 _What about Mei Ling ?_

 _What about her ?_

 _Well, you love her-_

 _I don't- I do- I can't. You know I can't._

 _Well, she deserves to know how you feel about her, doesn't she ?_

 _I-I guess._

 _And how are you going to accomplish that if you end up as worm food ?_

 _There's no point. She's just going to say no. I'm her friend, that's it. That's all._

 _You're her best friend ! You matter to her. If you die, do you really think she can carry on as normal ?_

 _Well, she always was quite stubborn._

 _Do you think Badr will let her ?_

Jiao'ao disappeared into the sand completely.

"So. Who should we start with ? The peacock ? I mean, you just had his son, might as well have the whole family, am I right ?" Badr spoke to his pet. Suddenly it shuddered violently. Badr switched in an instant. "Are you okay ? What's wrong ?" He stared in horror as the beast shook again. It screamed in agony, a high-pitched scream that would have shattered glass instantly. It opened it's gaping mouth in front of Badr's face. The feline's eyes widened as he saw Jiao'ao's blue bubble of chi hurtling towards him.

This time there was no avoiding it. Jiao'ao crashed into Badr. The pain was immeasurable. It burnt right through Badr's armour, and removed all the fur from his chest. The spinning stopped suddenly and Badr dropped onto the ground, on all threes, hissing madly. But before he had the opportunity to do anything the peacock's train smashed into the side of his face, knocking him backwards.

The Deathworm seemed to realize that it's prey had escaped, and attempted to swallow again. Jiao'ao narrowed his eyes and let the chi from his feathers conform around him. He then spun upwards, flying back into teh Deathworm's mouth, burning at it's insides with his chi.

Badr watched in agony as he watched his precious pet suffer. He withdrew another pendant from his cloak and flung it at the Deathworm. There was a snap, and suddenly it was gone, back inside the pendant, leaving a huge pit down into the center of the earth, right in the middle of the Prayer Hall.

Badr got to his feet, snarling as the yellow chi spun around his paws again, his eyes beginning to glow once more. "You're going to pay for that !"

"Try and make me !" Jiao'ao challenged, picking up his sword.

Badr charged once again, but Jiao'ao blocked it with the flat of his blade. He followed up by slamming his foot into Badr's chin, knocking the feline a few inches into the air, before spinning round and slamming his train into the mid-air feline's chest, knocking him into a pillar.

Badr got to his feet. He was the one shaking now. "How did you get so fast ?"

Jiao'ao shrugged. "I guess you can say all I needed was motivation."

Badr narrowed his eyes and charged again. But Jiao'ao was once again ready, he let some chi slip out of his wings, and slammed it into Badr's chest the second the feline got into range.

"You see, Iron Paw works by amplifying your base speed and strength by allowing your chi to run through your body quicker. I know that much. I also do know that to master Iron Paw you have to sacrifice the most precious thing on earth. I don't plan on doing that. But I can let my chi pass a bit quicker, thereby making me faster." Jiao'ao smirked. "And you were so confident earlier."

Badr snarled once again. "How come you have so much chi ? You should have run out by now !"

"Oh, I already did. But they do say love conquers all." He smiled, and let Badr look confused at his words of wisdom. "Let's end this. One move. Winner takes all."

Badr grimaced. "Fine by me."

Jiao'ao closed his eyes, and let all of his remaining chi swirl out of his wings, before forming a bubble around him. He opened up his train, and smirked.

Badr closed his eyes, and began spinning. His little feet barely touched the ground as he picked up speed, and began moving faster and faster.

Badr spun. Jiao'ao spun. They both cut the distance between them in seconds.

Badr's chi slammed into Jiao'ao's. The result was explosive as the attacks connected. Jiao'ao was sent hurtling backwards, and slammed into the altar. The wind flew out of him, and the world began clouding around him.

Badr was sent hurtling out of the temple itself. The feline flew out the doors, letting them crash helplessly against the ground. He landed across the street, and smashed into a wall. The crater he created was deep, and cat-shaped. For a few seconds he thought he was paralyzed, then he realized that he was wedged so deep into the rock that he couldn't move.

Jiao'ao blinked, trying to stay awake as black dots filled his vision. From the corner of his eye he saw Mei Ling, and smiled. _Now I still have a chance_. That was when he lost consciousness.

* * *

 _Footnote: Tada, this fic isn't dead yet ! And hopefully neither is Badr. Still I hope you enjoyed the fight, I understand that Jiao'ao has been somewhat forgettable up till now. Hopefully this has changed that._


	18. The Priest and the Triad

Chang Shuimian watched as Hong Ze came running towards him. He stared at the hall, filled as it was with sleeping guests and the sounds of battle. He grimaced, his style of fighting worked best in more enclosed spaces. I need to get him somewhere else.

Hong Ze swung with a scimitar, but Chang moved out of the blade's way. Hong Ze came back with another swing, but with a slight movement of his neck Chang Shuimian avoided the blow. He replied by flapping into the air and kicking Hong Ze square in the chest with both feet. The force knocked the elk backwards, but failed to do more.

Chang turned his back to his opponent, and with a strong gust of wind moved the walls from left to right, revealing a long dark corridor. Hong Ze had not waited to see what he was doing, and kicked the stork in the back, sending him flying into the darkness. The triad followed swiftly, and brought his scimitars down where Chang had been a few moments before. The blades clattered harmlessly against the floor, the stork was already on his feet, sending a gust of wind flying towards his opponent. The wind not only pushed him backwards, but also forced the walls shut behind him, smashing the triad into the bricks.

"I thought we'd make our duel more private." Chang said coldly.

Hong Ze shrugged. "It ends the same way either way." He rushed forwards.

Chang Shuimian threw a pair of shuriken at him, but Hong Ze sent both flying into the walls next to him. He then followed up by slicing the air with both his blades, missing the stork once again by an inch.

"Do you remember me ?" Chang asked nonchalantly, simultaneously kicking the triad backwards, and throwing another pair of shuriken.

"Not sure. I mean, I've met a lot of naked storks you know." Hong Ze replied, ducking under the weapons.

"I was your first mission." The stork said coolly.

"Nah, can't remember." Hong Ze dashed forwards again, and aimed a swing at Chang. This time his attack connected. His blades sliced through the stork from neck to navel, but instead of seeing blood and guts fly everywhere all that came out were puffs of smoke.

He was then sent flying forwards down the corridor by a bolt of silvery-blue lightning.

Hong Ze screamed in pain as he landed on his face, his whole body shaking like a leaf from the energy. "That's interesting. I thought I left quite an impression on the three of you."

Hong Ze rolled out of the way and avoided the bolt of lightning. "Nah, not really. The last thing I need to remember is your microscopic-"

Chang threw two more shuriken, which Hong Ze blocked with his scimitars. Unfortunately for him the shuriken were charged with lightning, and the metal went straight down the scimitars and shocked him straight down the shoulders. Chang Shuimian followed up by launching a gust of wind at Hong Ze, who was thrown backwards.

Hong Ze found that his scimitars weren't in his grip anymore, and rose to his feet. He charged, and rolled forwards to avoid another shuriken, simultaneously picking up his scimitars. He leapt upwards and swung in a circle, Chang avoided the blow and followed up by slamming his wing into the elk's throat.

Hong Ze took the blow and swung again, this time Chang Shuimian sidestepped the whole swing, before spinning around so that he was behind the elk. Hong Ze was sent flying forwards once more as more bolts of lightning crashed into his back. Hong Ze got to his feet, his arms and legs shaking wildly from the excess energy. Hong Ze turned around and back-flipped away from the following bolt of lightning. This one was clearly more powerful as it carried onto the wall and smashed through the bricks. Hong Ze had the fleeting image of Badr's eye's glowing yellow, the cat's paws swirling with yellow chi, before he was forced to turn his attention back to his opponent.

He charged forwards again, this time he leapt over the shuriken, but Chang Shuimian slammed his foot into the elk's nose as soon as he came into range. The stork then followed up by slamming his wing into the floor. Hong Ze leapt to his feet as the floor erupted into a chain of lightning. He then kicked off the wall and crashed into Chang Shuimian's chest, knocking him backwards, before following up by landing an uppercut against the stork's throat. While Chang was slightly dazed the elk sent his face into the stork's and knocked him backwards.

"Huh, not much improvement since the last time we met. Then again you always were the weaker one."

"On the contrary, you have improved. Two inches isn't that bad you know."

Chang frowned and crossed his wings. "Your petty insults won't save you"-

"Who said I needed saving ? Your mums the one that got fucked."

Chang's eye twitched. "Shut up-"

Hong Ze smirked. He had hit a soft spot. "Or what ? You'll go cry to mummy ? Well go on then, but don't be surprised if she gets horny as soon as she sees me."

Chang looked like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. His beak quivered with silent rage as he opened his mouth to say something. Hong Ze took advantage of his distraction and suddenly ran forwards and smashed the butt of his blade into the Chang's head crest. The elk immediately followed up with a kick to the gut that sent him reeling backwards.

"First rule of combat, never get distracted."

Chang steadied himself as he quivered with rage. "I refuse to be lectured in the art of combat by a complete-"

Hong Ze cut him off with a sudden uppercut. "Rule number two, less talk more walk."

Chang Shuimian narrowed his eyes. He bit his tongue and waited for Hong Ze's next move.

"I feel bad beating you up. Your mum won't give me head for free anymore."

Chang snapped. "If you mention my mother one more time-"

"Then she'll make me pay a yuan each time I visit her ?"

Chang roared shrieked with fury, throwing forth at least a dozen shuriken towards the elk. Hong Ze avoided two, three missed, but the rest were right on target. Chang followed up by sending a bolt of lightning up the metal weapons, shocking Hong Ze completely. The elk shook wildly as the lightning traveled through him. By the time Chang Shuimian was done he was on the ground, quivering from the pain, and gulping the air. Chang Shuimian followed up by smashing his wing into the floor. Lightning traveled down the corridor, lighting up the darkened hall. Hong Ze shrieked with pain as the lightning reached him, making him shake even further.

His nose was bleeding, his eyelids were twitching, he was shaking all over, his bloodstream felt like it was on fire. Hong Ze had never known more pain.

* * *

The closer and closer Aang drew to the Drops Temple, the more wary he was becoming. He spotted at one point a crimson-furred fox in a crimson cloak looking lost and confused. But the next time he looked there had been no fox. As a bat he had incredibly good hearing, and could pinpoint the sounds of a muffled battle approaching.

Finally he looked upon the Drops temple itself in all it's shadowy glory. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one there. A small crowd of people had gathered outside, looking confused and frightened. There was a rabbit lady with several rabbit children around her, all of whom looked like they had woken up a short while ago. There was an old lady, complaining that the Drops Temple should be mowed down and replaced with a park. There was an Imperial Army Officer trying to tell everyone to remain calm while they themselves were on the verge of panic. Aang sighed, no matter where you went, where confusion bred, chaos reigned. And by did he know how to take advantage of chaos.

Aang smirked confidently and took charge of the situation.

"People of China. You have nothing to fear. The Imperial Army is having a crack down on the Drops. We have reached some difficulties and I have been employed to deal with the difficulties. Go back to your homes, you have nothing to worry about. Cook some milk and go back to sleep." He smiled as at first the people looked slightly confused, before obeying the orders and leaving. All except the Imperial Army officer, an antelope.

"Sir, there is no crack down on the Drops authorized-"

"Of course that's what they told you." Aang said, waving away the accusation. "Tell me, would you prefer face-checking the temple, or would you rather I deal with the situation ?"

Fate had everything planned, or so it seemed, for at that moment Badr came crashing out of the doors. The doors fell off their hinges and collapsed. The cat slammed into the wall, creating a deep, cat-shaped crater.

"Okay, you can handle this." The Imperial Officer squeaked, walking away rapidly.

Aang smiled, and walked into the Temple, ignoring the massive hole in the center of the floor. Aang blinked and walked away. He stared at nobles, fast asleep, an unconscious peacock, bruised from battle. There were three holes in the wall, one led to what looked like a massive library, whereas two others led to a dark corridor. He could see in one of the dark corridors flashes of lightning, and his ears rung from screams that echoed down it. Aang raced down that corridor.

* * *

Chang cackled as he watched Hong Ze's suffering. "Now do you remember me ?" Even if he had wanted to, Hong Ze was in no state whatsoever to reply. Chang stopped the lightning and watched as the corridor went back into darkness, the elk's quivering still visible. "Well I suppose you want to meet my mother. You are going to the same place as her after all." He pushed his wing backwards, and channeled all the chi he had left into his right wing. The whole thing crackled with lightning. "Goodbye elk."

Chang sent the lightning flying towards the elk. A small black shape fluttered from out of nowhere. Hong Ze never saw it coming, his eyes widened as things happened quickly.

He was sent flying backwards into the wall, the lightning surged right through his chest, ripping apart everything that was there. Blood and guts went flying, and painted the dark walls red. He slipped onto the ground, dead, with a last look of confusion fixed on his corpse.

Standing over Hong Ze was a small bat, dressed in black robes, a bright blue wall of ice protecting them both from the stork's assault. Chang Shuimian's lightning had been reflected by the ice, and had come back with vengeance.

Aang breathed a small sigh of relief. He looked down at the elk. "You're with the triads, right ?"

Hong Ze didn't hear a word of it, though he could see the bat with his small light brown eyes staring down at him. Pain was all he heard, pain and the crackle of lightning.

Aang watched as the stunned elk gave no reply. He dearly hoped he had not just gone and saved the wrong person. Still, he was sure he had seen the elk somewhere before. Aang watched as he twitched miserably, shaking all over as he was. The Bat Lord sighed. He placed a wing on the elk's chest. Just in case. "I'm sorry."

Ice crawled from his wing, and slithered across the elk's body, the coldness of it washed over the elk, covering him completely. The ice was light blue and as tight as any prison. By the time he was done Hong Ze was frozen solid. Aang placed his ear against the triad's chest. He could still hear a heartbeat. Good, if he had killed the wrong guy he could deal with the elk later, if he had done the right thing, well the elk was in no state to continue fighting anyways.

Aang got to his feet and flapped back out the corridor. He still needed to find his brother.

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaaand there's another one. The nest update will either be another one of these, or Back in the Day, I don't really mind, but I do know it will be out by Friday. I think.  
_

 _Chang Shuimian really looks like an unnecessary extra in this story, but he does leave a lot of questions open for Back in the Day and another fic. Like, why is he so touchy about his mum ? Or, what was the triad's first mission ?_

 _Anyways I hope you enjoyed it. Update soon._


	19. The Little and Big Bat

Daitui swapped places with his shadow just before he hit the ground. It was too late though. Pain crawled over him like ants, and chewed him like food. The Wu Xing stood up, and turned to face him, the elemental giant didn't seem in the least bit confused by what he had just seen. If his eyes could even see. Daitui stretched his wings to remove the ache. The flames had only scorched his robes, but the impact itself had been hard enough to wind him. He had also wasted a lot of his ammunition on Juda and Xiao, so he was starting to run low. The Wu Xing smashed both fists into the earth. Daitui watched in fascinated horror as the ground in front of him suddenly became muddy. The wetness spread quickly towards him. Daitui took to the air, but was promptly kicked back into the ground by Xiao Xue. The vulture sunk to his head in the muddy earth, before the Wu Xing followed up by slamming a foot against the mud, instantly changing it back into a solid. The earth squeezed against his throat, and seemed to tighten as Xiao Xue flapped down to face him.

"Not so tough without your shadows are you ?" Xiao Xue mocked, showing off his yellowing teeth with a mocking grin.

"Thank you for reminding me." Suddenly Xiao Xue was staring at a black head. He turned to see Daitui's foot slam into the side of his head.

The albino was sent sprawling backwards, but Daitui failed to relent. He was upon Xiao Xue within the next second, his talons closing in around the bat's neck. "The hell reserved for traitors burns hotter than any other. You did realize this before you attempted to backstab the Bat Cave, right ?"

"What burns hotter, fire or hell ?" Xiao Xue said, grinning, his little eyes fixed behind the vulture.

Instead of a shadow falling upon him a brightness did, and made him cast a shadow. Daitui gulped as he was wrenched off the ground in the Wu Xing's grip, this time there was no stopping the pain. The spines of wood and ice tore through his measly armour of cloth, and sliced through his feathers to tear at his flesh. Then there was the heat. Daitui had felt the sun's heat beat upon him with hatred, but this heat was so much worse. He was surprised he wasn't alight, but he could feel his skin drying up, his back aching and his feathers beginning to smoke.

Then something small and brown crashed into the Wu Xing's head and made the stone giant's head explode. Daitui fell to the ground with a sigh of relief, the pain still mingling with his blood. Daitui tried to pull himself to his feet, but found that his body would not listen to him, and refused to budge. He realized with growing dread that he would have to sit this one out.

Xiao Xue burst out laughing as Shan Qu dizzily climbed out of the pile of rubble that used to be the Wu Xing's head. The albino removed another pendant from his cloak, and drew back the Wu Xing. Shan Qu fell in a heap on the floor, as teh white bat tucked away the flaming elemental.

"That is just a glimpse of true power Daitui. Something you and the Bat Cave will never be able to wield. But what's the matter, you were so hard to kill a few moments ago ? All out of fight are we ? Well, you were fun while you lasted." Xiao Xue lifted the vulture's head, so that he was looking Daitui eye to eye. The little bat grinned. "This time it really is goodbye."

He drew his last knife from his cloak, a little thing, that gleamed in the little light of the moon. That was as far as he got. Shan Qu dashed forwards and pushed him backwards, away from Daitui.

"You're not touching my master." Still slightly disorientated from his crash landing Shan Qu got into what he thought was a stance, but only consisted of crossing his wings over his chest and standing straight.

"And you're going to stop me ? Well then." Xiao Xue tossed the knife away into the night, and entered his own stance. "I'd like to see you try."Shan Qu narrowed his eyes, and swung with one wing, Xiao Xue dodged effortlessly and slammed his wing into the fruit bat's nose, sending him reeling. Xiao Xue could have finished him then and there, but relented. "I'm not going to lie, I've been waiting for this for a while." Shan Qu snarled and swung again, but Xiao Xue was two steps ahead and blocked with a flick of his wrist. "And clearly you have as well." He then kicked the smaller bat in the chest and sent him to the ground.

Shan Qu got up anyways. "You won't get away with this. Once my dad-"

"Your dad is an old man. The Bat Cave is only as good as it's leader. And your dad isn't much of one." Xiao Xue grinned. "I already got away with it. Or are you blind ? Aang is going to die. Daitui is dying. Your precious shapeshifter is already dead. It's over. I will take over the Bat Cave, and merge it with the Drops. I will create an empire to rival the triads."

Shan Qu was too stubborn to feel despair. "When you take over, change both their names. I always thought the Bat Cave was generic." He sliced the air between them with his wing, and recieved an uppercut as his thanks.

"There is no place for your opinion in my future. In fact there is no place for you." Xiao Xue slammed his wing into Shan Qu's chest, pinning the smaller bat against the ground. The albino bent over mockingly. "I'm sure your father will understand why you're not coming back in one piece."

Shan Qu snapped his little jaw over Xiao Xue's ear. It was a large target and hard to miss. His sharp fangs sliced through the thin flesh as Shan Qu shook his head from side to side, sending agony into Xiao Xue's body. Distracted by the pain Xiao Xue was unable to avoid Shan Qu's fingers as they tore into his left eye. Blood squirted over Shan Qu, but he didn't care, he was fighting for his life, right now all he wanted was to make Xiao Xue suffer.

The albino rose, and sent Shan Qu flying into the night. He kept his left eye shut tightly, his left ear flopping at an impossible angle on his head, his white fur was stained crimson. He walked quickly towards his opponent.

Shan Qu was just getting to his feet when Xiao Xue's wing tightened around his throat. The albino wasted no time in words. Neither did Shan Qu. The little brown bat plunged the little knife into Xiao Xue's chest.

The albino gave him a confused look, before collapsing on the ground, shrieking in agony. Shan Qu looked at his wings, still holding the knife. The blade had failed to go through anything. Shan Qu watched as the albino writhed on the ground. Then he noticed why. Although Daitui was lying weak on the ground his shadow had thought it would be a good idea to fuck up Xiao Xue's. The albino's shadow was getting stabbed by the vulture's and from the tortured screams of Xiao Xue Shan Qu could bet that he was feeling every word of it.

Daitui rose to his feet. He almost fell forwards but caught himself. "Xiao Xue, save your screams for later. Hell hurts more than that." Daitui's shadow plunged the blade into Xiao Xue's throat. The albino coughed blood by the gallons, but could not gasp in even a lump of air. His face turned red from the effort of breathing, but it was too late, soon he would drown in his own blood.

Shan Qu looked away from the ghastly sight and walked towards Daitui. "Are you okay ?"

"No. But I'm not important right now, help me get back to the room." Shan Qu wasn't sure how he was supposed to do that, but soon learned that Daitui wasn't talking to him. His shadow returned to him and went a few steps forwards, before the vulture swapped places with it. Then the process repeated. Shan Qu followed slowly. He was making his way into the inn when he looked behind one last time at the struggling corpse that was Xiao Xue. All he felt was pity, and for once he was scared of what his master could do. Shan Qu turned away and flapped up the inn.

* * *

 _Footnote: Less of an epic fight scene and more of a character builder for Shan Qu, still I hope you enjoyed it. Xiao Xue will get a bit more definition in the prequels, and maybe later on but I haven't decided on either yet so don't hold your breath over it.  
_

 _And I know I said Friday, but things happened. Anyways I plan on finishing this over Easter's half term, so not much left._


	20. A Short Trip Down Memory Lane

Xueye dragged his feet along the cold cobblestones of the Imperial City. He had walked a short while away from the Drops Temple, where the sounds of fighting were inaudible and the town was in silence. There he sat in the corner of an alleyway between two pagodas, and cried.

 _Everything had been fine when he had been smaller. He used to live with Ji Rou and their mum, in a small inn run by their mother. It was in the middle of the Kingswood, and rarely recieved many visitors. In fact the most common visitor was their dad._

 _He had been short and stocky, with a face that was pocked with little cuts that never seemed to go away. His tail was bright red and bushy, and his face wore a constant scowl, that was until he caught sight of his family. Then he would burst into a grin, pick up Xueye and throw him into the air. His father had been incredibly strong, smart and intelligent, and Xueye had looked up to him since before he could remember. Every winter there dad would come and stay for the whole while and help with the inn, teach Ji Rou to write and play with Xueye. His father had never said what he did for a living, and if ever asked that question would reply that it was more then enough of a hassle looking after him, before promptly tickling his curious son to death. Every night he would come and check under Xueye's little bed for Nians and Jit Kun, who carried away little babies, and Xueye would only go to sleep after that. The whole family had been overjoyed when they were told they would have another baby. One last child. A baby brother, somehow deep down Xueye had always known it was going to be a little brother.  
_

 _Things changed however, on the last day of winter...a long time ago._

 _Xueye held the snowflake in his paw, and watched as it melted into his bright red fur. He always hated the end of winter. The snow would always disappear, and there would be no more snow-foxes, or snowball fights, at least until the snow came back again, but that was ages. Right now the snow was just starting to leave, and Xueye realized with growing melancholy that the leaving of snow meant his dad would go to his place for a while, and he would have to wait until the snow fell again before he would be safe from the Jit Kun. He sighed, life was so difficult for little foxes. He was also disheartened because his mum was getting all sickly, she hadn't been sickly before giving birth to him, but whatever his baby brother was doing inside her was making her ill. He sighed. That meant that Ji Rou was all busy with the inn and couldn't play with him, and his dad was getting ready to leave soon, so he was busy as well. Xueye sighed a little sigh and got to his feet. He screwed his eyes tightly and stared down at the wettening snow in front of him.  
_

 _Then things happened quickly. Xueye heard the snap of a twig and turned and gasped as a figure in white with red stripes raced towards him. He froze. His worst nightmare, the Jit Kun were coming after him. His eyes widened in terror as he lifted his small paws up as if that would do any good. Then the strong, fast figure of his father slammed into the side of his assailant, sending the figure in white sprawling forwards._

 _"Run !" His father barked at him, before lifting his opponent by the back of the neck and slashing his claws through the mask, creating three long slashes in the white. Xueye was still frozen in terror when he noticed another figure all in white leap out of nowhere and charge towards his father. His dad locked eyes with him, a look that made Xueye's heart froze. If his dad was scared then he was doomed. He turned tails and fled back home._

 _When he came back his sister interrogated him thoroughly, and his mum told both of them to stay inside. She then locked the door and forbade them from leaving. Ji Rou started asking a lot of questions, and nearly raised her voice on their mum, and they had a bit of a row. Xueye sat through it all, staring at the door, his heart pumping madly. He hoped more then anything that his dad came home that night. Ji Rou eventually went to bed, and so did his mum, but Xueye waited at the door, staring at the wood, waiting for his dad to come home._

 _He wished he hadn't. When his father came home that night he was a mess. He had a long, winding cut that just missed his eyes, and his once bushy tail was reduced to a little puff of fur where it had once stood proud. He was limping, and stunk of sweat and blood. He walked in and looked like he had just bathed in blood. Still he smiled when he saw Xueye._

 _That was the last time Xueye saw him smile._

Xueye snapped out of his past. It was too painful to go through. His family had done so much for him, but they had sold him to the Drops. His mum had died after childbirth. Ji Rou had gone to some school, and then his dad, who he had once admired, had sold him to the Hemomancer. He felt hatred growing in his heart, and watched as blood dripped from his paws, he had clenched them too tightly. He rose to his feet, shakily. The Hemomancer had tormented and tortured him throughout their life together, so he had no reason to love him. But it had been his family that had thrown him aside. He had three options now. He could go away and leave China forever, but he couldn't do that. He had unfinished business in China. He could go back and kill his family, but Xueye wasn't sure he could do that. Or he could go and kill the master that had raised and ruined him.

Xueye got to his feet. He still had no idea what the hell he was going to do, but he had to do it there, so with a heavy heart he dragged his tired feet across the cobblestones, back to where he had just come from.

* * *

 _Jixiao stared intently at the python that slithered around the Underworld, offering drinks and taking orders. She was about his age, in her early twenties. And she was gorgeous. She slithered with a grace like no other, her soft coils shimmering in the candle-lit inn of the Underworld. Every night he would sit there for hours, watching her slither with her grace and her cups. His heart would flutter whenever she went to a boy and spoke to them, and would only get it's normal beat back after she gave them her drinks. He would watch, and if she ever turned to look he would stare down into his empty cup and hope she turned away.  
_

 _It all truly began the day he looked up and found himself staring into two large, bright red eyes. His heart fluttered, her eyes were the most beautiful thing about her._

Right now beautiful was the last thing he'd say about her cold slits which sliced through his chest and saw into his soul.

"Er- about what ?" He gazed at her confused, his little heart fluttering in his chest.

"Where have you been !?" She wrapped him in a hug that was tighter than any rope and squeezed at his insides. He found his face smothered by her soft, cold scales. She released him just enough to let him breathe. "Sorry, forgot my own strength." She giggled, but Jixiao wasn't entirely sure she had forgotten.

He wheezed his words, gulping in air simultaneously. "I've been almost everywhere. Long time no see, eh ?" He hugged her back this time, but it was a half hug, because somewhere in his fluttering heart he could remember the circumstances that had brought them together.

Juda didn't seem to notice. She stared down into his small blue eyes, before her face spread into a floppy grin. "Remember the day we met ?" She asked, almost innocently.

Jixiao smiled a half-smile. "All too well."

 _"Whatcha looking at ?"_

 _"Er- I-eh wasn't looking, I was just er"-_

 _"Masturbating ?"_

 _"Yes ! I mean, no, er, no, no definitely not. "_

 _Juda tittered as the little rat stammered. "I know you're lying because you took the bait too easily. Have you always been staring at me ?"_

 _Jixiao's mouth opened, but could not find any words to say."You know I know you're lying because you're not answering".  
_

 _"Aha"._

 _"Don't worry I think you're cute too."  
_

 _Jixiao blushed so hard he was redder then a pepper. "Thanks." He said in a muffled voice, his little paws covering his blushing face.  
_

 _"I just wanna eat you up ya know !" She tightened her coils around him again, so tight he couldn't even breathe. She pressed her lips against his, and for a second he thought he was snake food._

Juda pulled her lips away from his. Jixiao was still wrapped in her coils, a goofy grin spread across his face. "I'm not going to lie the first time we did that I thought I was snake food."

Juda grinned. "Aw, you know I would never hurt you."

Jixiao smiled, but inside his heart he felt something growing. She had hurt him. A lot. He felt his mind traveling towards memory lane and stopped it. Right now he could never think those thoughts.

"Maybe we should try and hit it off again. I mean we do make a cute couple !"

Jixiao saw movement in the corner of his eye, and pulled himself out of her coils. "It's just, the last time we were together...you made me feel like my heart was sliced in two."

"Well, I've never had that feeling but-"

"You're about to." Daitui slammed the knife straight through her coils, her cold, soft coils.

The look on her face spoke volumes. Heartbreak. Betrayal. Jixiao felt tears welling up at the back of his eyes. He brought his paws to his face to hide a different kind of redness this time.

Daitui twisted the knife, and pulled it out. Juda shivered and fell to the floor. Daitui threw his shadow forwards and swapped places with it so that he was standing next to Jixiao. He placed his wing around the rat and let the rodent cry into him.

Daitui stood there for a long time, until Jixiao ran out of tears.

* * *

 _Footnote: Again more character development rather than actual fights scenes, unless you count that scene with Xueye's dad. Xueye will get a bit more exposure in this story, but Saras' family tree will still have some gaps left in it, to save for the other stories of course. Like, we do need to know who his parent's are and why his family's so broken apart.  
_

 _As for Jixiao and Juda. Juda is more of a prequel character, and her relationship to the still-not-quite-a-major-player Jixiao is another thing I plan on writing more about in later stories, well prequel fics which I will write later but take place before... It's confusing I know. As for Jixiao's relationship with Daitui, well that will get a bit more resolution later on in this fic and on Halloween in a little thing called Training Day._


	21. An Arm for An Arm

Saras got to his feet and wiped at his nose, already feeling the droplets of blood welling up inside of them. He rubbed at his snout, waiting for the Hemomancer to throw something else at him. The library hadn't looked like much before, but now he couldn't see much of anything that wasn't paper. Books, scrolls, ancient texts, some written in discernible language, others in script long lost to animal kind.

Saras grimaced, so much knowledge, and the Drops still had nothing better to do than plan a massive conspiracy against him.

He had no more time to think as the Hemomancer strolled around a bookshelf, and stared at the vulpine, an ugly grin plastered to his face. "I hope you're not planning on running away again."

Saras noted that even if he had been planning on making a run for it he didn't think it was possible. If he managed to get past the Hemomancer he still had the others to deal with, and he couldn't abandon the triads or Jiao'ao. As tempting as it was to save his own skin, he knew he didn't have the guts to do it.

"You're clearly considering it. But you're also smart enough to notice that there really is no escape for you. I'm impressed. Now you should also be smart enough to know that you stand no chance against me, which means you might as well lie down and wait to die."

"Not gonna happen." Saras teleported, so that he was close enough to hurt the Hemomancer. He swung with his claws, slashing open the Hemomancer's belly, before using the rest of the momentum to slash with his other paw. Blood dripped from the cuts and flew at Saras, hitting him full in the face and sending him flying backwards. The fox landed on his feet, but continued sliding backwards, his Talon Claws grinding him to a slow halt.

While he was still far from giving up he was beginning to think that the Hemomancer was right. He had been beaten bloody several times by the wolf, and he had ran all the way to the Imperial City for a reason. Even Blood Diamond had only stopped him from dying. He couldn't beat him... at least not as a fox.

Saras narrowed his eyes and charged again. The Hemomacer slit his wrists and drew his arms up, blood poured out from them and made a spider's web of crimson. Saras brought himself to a halt mid-charge, his eyes widening. The Hemomancer sent the web forwards, where it wrapped around Saras and clung to his fur. It tightened around his throat, and Saras felt the familiar sensation of not being able to breathe.

The shapeshifter transformed into a hummingbird, and dashed forwards, the web tightened itself around thin air as Saras flew out from it's grasp, before hurtling towards the Hemomancer. Mid-air he morphed into a hedgehog, and landed back-first into the Hemomancer's chest, his thin, sharp needles slicing through the wolf's fur and cloak, piercing straight into the flesh, and drawing blood. The wolf howled with rage, and sent the blood flying out of his chest, sending the hedgehog forwards. Mid-air Saras transformed into an armadillo and rolled into a ball just before he crashed into a bookshelf, softening the blow and sending centuries of knowledge flying every-which-way.

Saras rolled backwards and got to his feet, transforming back into a fox. He faced the Hemomancer, somewhat more confident after having cut him open a bit.

For a while they stared at each other, then the Hemomancer set his jaw and glared at the fox. "I'm going to admit that that hurt a lot. You see, unlike Xueye I feel pain. I can't slit my wrists forever. The potion that made me what I am was an experiment. Sadly I was the test subject." He shrugged. "Still my skills are far beyond his reach, I'm sure you'll agree my sacrifice was worth it."

Saras felt something stirring in his heart, was it pity ? His whole life he had been made to do things, and had become more or less a monster. He had gotten his first kill at thirteen. He was a shapeshifter, that part hadn't been his decision either.

The Hemomancer must have read his mind. "Hmm, how interesting. I never thought I'd meet someone as alike as me. A fellow monster, are we ?"

Saras glared. "It's not what you are that makes you a monster, it's what you do"-

"You got your first kill as a kit. Tell me, how many more do you crave ?"

Saras' left eye began to twitch. "Get out of my head !" The shapeshifter leapt forwards, and transformed into his dragon form. Bright red scales glimmered as he sent flames flying towards the wolf.

Almost lazily the wolf raised a ball of blood to block it, but instead of blocking it, he surrounded the flames in crimson, before hurtling it back at Saras.

The shapeshifter took the blow head on, the blood and flames erupted around him, engulfing his form. Saras didn't even flinch. "Fun fact, fire doesn't burn dragons".

"I knew you were going to say that. I also know that you are planning on transforming into a mole and teleporting under me to initiate a surprise attack."

Saras blinked and clutched at his head. "Get out !"

"On the contrary, you have to get out of me. While I have your blood in my system I can see everything. Your memories, your thoughts. Even things you don't know."

Saras felt hopelessness wrap it's paw around his heart and squeeze.

"No wonder Xueye was so slow in reacting. It must be hard to meet your brother after so long."

Saras' eyes widened. _He knows everything._

"Indeed I do. I wonder what will kill you first. Madness or me ?"

He threw several droplets of blood, but Saras was still stunned and failed to get out of the way, he blocked weakly with his left paw, catching one in the center of it. The rest stopped mid air and hovered around him.

He teleported forwards to avoid the droplets, but they kept on coming after him. He teleported again, this time backwards, but the droplets changed direction again and continued to hurtle towards him. He saw in the corner of his eyes as the Hemomancer grinned. He back flipped away from two, which mercifully hit the floorboards instead and cracked them open. He then dived forwards, sliding through the Hemomancer's legs, the droplets of blood came and slammed into the wolf's arm, obliterating it into showers of blood. The wolf howled with rage and pain.

Saras shapeshifted, and scurried up the wolf's leg.

"Ow ! Get off !" The wolf tried to shake off the mouse, while dealing with the pain that filled the left side of his body. The Saras bit down hard with his little buckteeth. "That's just...low."

Saras then teleported upwards and out, so that he was staring mid-air right into the wolf's eyes, now in fox form. He smashed his paws forwards, and squeezed at the wolf's eyes, blood squirted out as he squeezed with hatred. "Not so tough now are you !" The Hemomancer collapsed, a bloody mess, and Saras realized with sudden fear that the lupine was melting into blood. Saras released his grip only to find himself in the middle of a large puddle of crimson. Then it suddenly converted again into the wolf. His eyes missing and his arm ruined, but with a shitload of blood swirling around his other arm.

Saras' eyes widened as the blood seeped into one of his eye sockets, creating a crimson replacement, the rest of it became his arm. Only it wasn't the same. The new arm was as crimson as the rest of him, but far larger, and clawed. He grinned at the frightened kit, and brought his huge arm crashing down on him. Saras teleported away, only for a small droplet of blood to crash into his right shoulder.

"You can't kill someone who's made out of blood. I'm already dead !" He threw forth two more balls of blood, before swinging with his new arm, just barely missing Saras as the fox ducked, but decapitating a whole bookshelf. Paper scattered everywhere, but the Hemomancer didn't care.

Saras teleported away, but upon landing found a ball of blood hurtling towards him. He managed to avoid most of it, but it exploded as soon as it was next to him, a single droplet smashing into his right elbow.

"Can we talk about this ?!" Saras suddenly begged, realizing that there was no way he could outwit this guy forever.

The Hemomancer laughed. "Maybe you should have begged before we started fighting. I'd have killed you anyways but it would have been a quicker death."

Saras ducked as the Hemomancer's arm came again, smashing everything behind the fox, but just missing Saras himself. Unfortunately a small bead of blood flew out of the arm and crashed into the fox's left shoulder. Saras was tehn sent flying into another bookshelf by a kick that caught him on the chin. He got to his feet quickly, just in time to see a barrage of little droplets of blood flying towards him. He sidestepped all but one which caught him on the left elbow.

Then the Hemomancer's arm closed over his throat, and pulled him so that they were staring eyes to eye. The wolf grinned. "A quick death would have been easier, but I'm going to take this nice and slow." He threw Saras into the air and smacked the falling fox into another bookshelf. He then let his arm return to normal, and threw the excess blood straight at the fox. Saras was too dazed to avoid it, and blocked with his right paw. The droplet slammed right into the center of it, while the rest of the blood lifted him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

The crimson water returned to the Hemomancer, and formed his other eyes. The wolf walked over towards the fox, his arms crossed, his lips spread into a smirk. Saras rose shakily. He couldn't remember ever having a worse beating, except maybe having his skull cracked open, but he didn't really remember that.

"Any last words ?"

"Kill me first !" Saras replied in a tired voice, with a confidence that was clearly faked.

"My pleasure." The hemomancer pulled his paw up, and spread his finger apart.

Saras felt incredible pain, then felt his arms go limp at his side. He felt hot blood running down his arms and dripping to the floor. He felt hopelessness. He looked down. All the veins in his arms had exploded. He felt his heart skip a beat and then collapsed. Blood. All he could see was his blood. _It's only scary when it's yours._ Saras fell on his back, lying against the wall. His arms uselessly flopping at his sides.

The Hemomancer walked forwards slowly, and sneered, placing his face right against Saras'. "An arm for an arm. I'll just let you wallow in your misery and drown in your blood. Goodbye Saras Kanbujian Kanbu Shifty." He turned and rubbed his tail mockingly against Saras' nose, before walking away from the fox.

Saras saw crimson piling up around his eyes, his vision was blurring, and his consciousness fading. He had survived a lot, but this time he felt certain that he wouldn't come out in one piece.

The last thing he saw was the Hemomancer's tail wagging as he walked slowly away, then he heard a scream of genuine pain and then the world went black.


	22. The Dead and the Undying Will

" _Nooooooooooo_!" The heartbreaking scream echoed across the library, shaking shelves and books alike. Ji Rou's heart skipped a beat. The world spun. She had _just_ found her family. And once again it was taken from her. There was too much blood, her little brother was surrounded by crimson, his arms a gory mess. He was pale, and didn't seem to be awake. She had never felt more pain in her entire life. Or at least couldn't remember it if she had. She fell back and caught herself on the bookshelf, her heart now pumping faster than ever before. Maybe it wasn't too late, she still could... she had to _try_ at least.

She had no more time to think as a ball of blood came hurtling towards her. She rolled under it, before charging forwards and tackling the Hemomancer to the ground with all the rage of a bigger sister. She smashed a furious fist into his nose, and watched with satisfaction as his nose dripped crimson. She loosened her claws and thrust her paw into his throat, she tugged furiously, and pulled out the whole thing, veins hanging loosely around it and spitting crimson. She threw it aside with disgust and ran over to her brother.

She pressed her ear to Saras' chest. There was a heartbeat, unfortunately it was a small one. She took a deep breath. She had to get his heart beating, and she had to stop the bloodflow...how was she meant to do that ? Doing one of those would eliminate all she did for the other one. She felt her heart pump against her chest like a hammer to a nail.

The Hemomancer stood up, his blood filling the gap where his throat had been. "You can't kill me if I'm already dead."

Ji Rou turned around, and stared at the Hemomancer. "Fix him !" She demanded, her pain suddenly turning to fury. She glared at him and waited for his next move.

The Hemomancer laughed like a maniac. "You ! Make me, fix him ? He's already dead, look at him. He's gone. Finished. Nothing can bring him back, not you, not me not even the gods. It's over !"

As painful as those words were to hear, Ji Rou knew deep down that it was true, and there was nothing she could do. Well, there was one thing...

Ji Rou drew three ninja stars, and watched the wolf. His eyes were on her weapons, try as he might to laugh away his fear she could sense it _. I beat Xueye, he knows I can beat him_. She threw her weapons, all three spiraled far away from the Hemomancer. She leapt upwards, kicking a bookshelf to boost herself, simultaneously picking up a pair of scrolls. She threw both of them at the crimson wolf, before kicking the entire bookshelf at him. While he was busy with that, he ninja stars bounced at the wall behind him, and propelled themselves towards his back.

Fast as he was he didn't have an Unbreakable Defensive, nor was he fast enough to stop all of it from hitting him. He caught both scrolls, and dodged one ninja star, but got the other two on his back and a whole bookshelf on his head. Unfortunately Ji Rou knew that if he survived having his throat ripped out he could definitely survive having a bookshelf fall on him. She whipped out a canister and threw it towards the place the Hemomancer had disappeared under. Smoke flew everywhere as the canister exploded. The Hemomancer threw aside the objects that had been crushing him. He would have liked to throw aside Ji Rou as well, but she was nowhere to be seen. The smoke filled the area, playing tricks with his eyes, he thought he heard movement, but couldn't see it. He never saw the needle coming.

It plunged into the Hemomancer's back with ferocity, before hastily being pulled back out, his opponent darted out of reach just as he turned to face them. He was stabbed in the back of the knee with the same long needle, which was again pulled back out before he could retaliate. He growled, he had always thought that his offensive was a far better take on defense than his apprentice's Unbreakable Defensive. Apparently he had been wrong.

He heard a laugh that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "You can't fight something you can't see, can you ?"

The Hemomancer growled. "Come out and fight fair-"

"That's rich coming from you. How fair a fight did you put against my brother ?"

The Hemomancer bit his lip. It had been a one-sided fight from the start, but that didn't mean he hadn't made it fair.

"Exactly. Besides I'm a triad. We don't play fair." The needle pierced through his sides and cut inbetween where his ribs were.

He shrieked in pain, simultaneously swiping the air with his claws, he missed entirely and hit nothing. Then he got a foot in his nose, and the needle in his throat. Ji Rou darted away from him again, taking the needle with her. The Hemomancer grimaced. Down here the smoke was thick, but it couldn't be that thick all over. Slitting his wrists he let his blood slip onto the ground, before conjuring it into the shape of a large round eyeball. He sent it hurtling upwards, before pivoting the blood down. He shut both his eyes and focused on the Blood Eye. His vision changed, and he was suddenly looking down at the smoke screen. He grimaced.

The smoke seemed to shift to the side slightly, as if something was moving quickly towards him. He snapped his eyes open again and caught Hi Roy's fist this time. His claws dug into her paw, just enough to draw blood, but in return he received a needle through his own paw. He let go and Ji Rou pulled back. He smiled to himself and licked Ji Rou's blood off his claws. He shut his eyes, now he would share her vision.

All he saw was smoke. He saw a black paw slice through the smoke and suddenly felt pain in his left eye. He opened his right, only to see a black shape smashing a fist into his right eye.

"An interesting technique, what you did with your eye. You just wanted my blood ? To see what I can see ? Only works if I can see. I grew up in darkness, fighting blind is what I do best, especially when you stand still !"

The Hemomancer would have facepalmed if he had had the chance, but was stopped when Ji Rou knocked him backwards into a bookshelf, and mercifully out of the smoke.

She offered no respite and followed up by slashing his torso open with her needle, before slamming it into his gut. This time there was no smoke screen to hide behind, however and the Hemomancer threw her into the air via a ball of blood to her chest. Ji Rou slid across the wooden floorboards, her claws grinding herself to a halt. Ji Rou glared at him. He was faster than Xueye.

She charged forwards again, and he raised a ball of blood to block her leg sweep. She followed up by trying to slice open his cheek, but the same ball of blood blocked the blow mid air. She continued by trying to get out of range of his next attack, as he slammed his fist into he nose, knocking her backwards. Ji Rou took the blow and darted backwards. She glared at the Hemomancer. She had spared Xueye from the full brunt of her force, purely because he was family. The word hurt her mind. She would give the Hemomancer no such mercy.

"I'm too quick for you to hurt." The Hemomancer said, his face so smug Ji Rou felt her anger rising again.

"No, I'm just not fast enough yet." She tapped her claws all over her body. For one moment the Hemomancer was confused. "What are you doing ?"

Ji Rou smiled, hitting her last nerve point. "It's a little thing called a Buffing Technique. More specifically Undying Will." Now she grinned from ear to ear.

Then the Hemomancer gasped. From under her black ninja garb he could see her entire nervous system glowing white.

* * *

Xueye walked slowly back into the temple. He dragged his feet across the ground, staring at his little crimson paws, as if they held all the answers he was looking for. His inattention forced him onto his back when a small brown bat rugby tackled him to the ground. The bat hopped onto his throat, and pressed a metal-tipped wing against his throat, the other one had an icicle sticking out of it, ready to plunge down on him if Xueye was uncooperative.

"I'll give you three seconds to tell me where my brother is, or you're going to be in a lot of pain !" The bat threatened.

"You're Lord Aang aren't you ?"

"You didn't answer my question. Where. Is. My. Brother ?" He said it calmly but Xueye could see a fury inside him.

"He should be in the library. But I don't know. Our little brother is a slippery one." Xueye said, trying to sit up.

" _Our_ ?" Aang asked, pressing on, only a little confused.

"...It's a long story."

"How long ?"

"Forty thousand words ?"

Aang sighed. "So you're on his side ?" The bat asked, getting off his throat and helping Xueye to his feet.

Xueye blinked. "Yeah." He said, still unsure of what his course of action should be.

* * *

Ji Rou charged, and slammed her fist right into the Hemomancer's face. Before he could react she ducked low and kicked his chin, knocking him a bit into the air, before following up with a roundhouse kick that caught him mid air and sent him flying backwards.

He had no time for respite as Ji Rou was immediately upon him, her fists slamming into his chest faster than they should have been allowed to move. Ji Rou then slammed her foot into his nose, pummeling him further and further into the ground. She punched again, and pushed him further into the ground, making him create his own crater.

Ji Rou back flipped away and waited for the Hemomancer to rise. He did so, coughing up blood and shaking. "You have fleetfoot ?"

Ji Rou laughed. "I'm not that fast. It's called Undying Will. I expanded my nerve points to allow my chi to move quicker through my body." She grinned. "And now I can move quicker."

She raced towards him, slamming her foot into his knee, which buckled and bent backwards. Ji Rou followed up by swinging for his face and knocking him down. She repeated by smashing her foot into his teeth, knocking them back into his mouth and off of his jaw. She then slapped him across the face and dipped her needle into his throat again. She moved backwards. The Hemomancer forced himself to get up.

"So that's how you won your Death Match."

Ji Rou froze.

The Hemomancer cackled. "You can't hide anything from me. Your blood's in my system. I have your memories. It was a little boy."

Ji Rou felt her heart stop. _No, he can't see that_.

"I can see everything." He replied. "Shall we travel through your memories ?"

Ji Rou felt a pain in the back of her head, which pushed itself forwards, and deeper inside her. Then she opened her eyes and she was looking at her younger self.

 _Ji Rou was nervous. It was called a Death Match, but surely that didn't mean she was going to die ? The triads needed more members, not less. Surely things would go for the better. If she had to kill someone on the other hand... while she could do it, she didn't think she had the strength to do it. And what if it was one of the kids that she had trained with ? Then she definitely wouldn't be able to kill them. She was brought into the middle of a circle, it was illuminated by white light, the moonlight. Her opponent stepped forwards. No, it couldn't be...it was him._

 _The boy too seemed nervous. "Ji Rou ?"_

 _Why did it have to be him ? "Kenji..."  
_

"Enough !" Ji Rou smashed her fist into the Hemomancer's face. She followed up by lifting him by the collar and slamming him into a wall. Her claws dug into his throat, blood ebbed from the cut and fell to the floor. She placed her other paw over where his heart was, the tips of her claws slicing the skin there. "Stay out of my family ! Stay out of my head ! And _stay dead_ !" She brought her palm flat against where his heart was. The Hemomancer's eyes widened, and then he crumpled. Ji Rou turned around and fell to the ground. She had been through too much that night. Her chi pulse regained it's normality, leaving her a black mess. She had fought and beaten her long lost brother, now she was being forced to relive the worst memory of her life. She took gulps of breath, and rose to her feet. Then tears started flowing from her eyes. And she had come too late to save Saras. She had let her fight with one brother take too long for the sake of mercy, and in the process lost her other brother. She fell to her knees and sobbed into the ground. Why did it have to end this way ? She had lost her best friend. Now she had lost her little brother. She felt her cheeks grow hot as her tears streamed down them. She felt so tired, almost like giving up. She had already failed.

Unbeknownst to her the Hemomancer rose. "The One Inch Heart Stopper." He chuckled as she turned to him, mortified. "You should know that it only works if the one you're using it against _has_ a heart."

Ji Rou was sent flying backwards into a wall, and landed hard on her back. She tried to get up, but had exhausted herself with her Undying Will and her emotional conflicts. She was far too slow to avoid the ball of blood that came and caught her in the gut, winding her further, before wrapping itself around her neck and squeezing.

Xueye sent a ball of blood flying at his master, knocking the older Hemomancer back. "How dare you !" The wolf bellowed, glaring at his former student, who looked sheepishly at his feet, his face returning to it's state of looking like h e was about to throw up.

Aang instead looked like he had just been frozen. Xueye followed his gaze and felt his own heart stop at what he saw. Lying on the ground, in a pool of his own blood, eyes shut, face pale and arms a bloody mess was his little brother. Ji Rou was at least still alive, albeit entirely out of fight. But Kanbujian looked long gone. Any uncertainty Xueye had disappeared in that moment. He raced towards Saras like there was no tomorrow.

The Hemomancer continued to glare at him, but never saw the small brown form of Aang coming as the Bat Lord smashed into the side of his face.

Xueye reached Saras, already using everything the Drops had ever taught him to manipulate all the blood back into his arms. Slowly but surely the pool of blood dissipated back inside of him. "Come on, come on, come on !" He implored it. Eventually he had gotten it all back in and sealed the veins with dried blood. In time it would heal properly, but for now it was the best he could do. Finally he pressed an ear to Saras' chest. What he found made tears well up at the back of his eyes. There was no pulse. Saras' heart had stopped.

 _I'm sorry brother...this is all my fault._

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaaaand another cliffhanger. This was again meant to be one big ass chapter, but again I cut it down. :)  
_

 _Anyways Ji Rou's past is one I eagerly look forwards to completing. But I can't promise it will come soon._

 _Xueye and Aang vs the Hemomancer. Let's see how that goes._

 _And yes, I just killed off my main character._

 _Keep Reading :)_


	23. The Contract

Light brown eyes opened groggily into a world of black. _Is this hell ?_ Saras thought. For once he knew he was dead. This was not a dream, not a nightmare, not an illusion. He was dead. He yawned, his eyes fluttering. He was so tired. The last thing he remembered was an incredible pain on both his arms, then he had seen only black. After that there was fear.

He had done a lot of morally questionable things in his short life time. He had gotten his first kill when he was thirteen. Now the kill count was probably at three. It wasn't that bad, but didn't most people's stay at zero ? It wasn't entirely the consequences he was scared of. It was death itself. He was dead, that was it, the end. He would never see Jiao'ao, Daitui, Jixiao, Shan Qu, Babirasu, Aang... His thoughts trailed off. _I would have never seen Aang again anyways. He never came_.

On his first mission he had pondered the meaning of life, but now that his was over he decided to look back over everything he had accomplished, or had failed to.

He had gone on his first mission to Korea with Xiao Xue, the result was disastrous. He had then gotten lost on the ship home and he and the crew had landed in the Feral Islands. He got his first kill and learned about having the Blood Diamond. he also met Babirasu, who had saved his life at least three times. Then their had been Japan. He had met the Wu sisters and robbed the Silver Fang Vaults, in the process antagonizing the cats and loosing Han Guan's job. Then their had been Gongmen. He had met his fellow shapeshifter Danzaburo Danaki, who's attempts to recruit him had only hardened his loyalty to the Bat Cave. Then their had been the House of Tamod. Li I, Lang, Kunjingle, Dianbo, Wugu, Ba, Han Guan, Reidak, Jiao'ao and himself had all competed alongside many others. But of course his life couldn't have gone more smoothly. Wugu and Han Guan were now both dead. He sighed. Then there had been the events leading up to his death. Looking back Saras realized that he had walked out on Aang too quick. After everything the bat had done for them he had walked out over one small fact. He had lost his family. _Then I found another one, and then I died_. Saras almost smiled. _The irony of every life story is that it always ends in death..._

 _"It doesn't have to end now."_

Saras leapt a foot in the air. "Wai-wha ?" He found his feet leaving the blackness that had supported his wait, and suddenly he was floating.

 _"I thought it was self-explanatory. Your life story was sadly so short and so sad. Why end it now when you can have a happier ending ?"_

Saras blinked. He opened his mouth but found himself tongue-tied. He had at least a hundred questions. _Where am I ? Who are you ? What do you mean ?_

As if the being he was speaking to could read his thoughts he answered. " _Don't bother with who I am or where you are. What matters is getting you back, right ?" Before Saras could even open his mouth the being had already launched into an explanation. "You should know that you are dead. I caught your spirit on it's way out and brought you here to parley. However, because you haven't moved on yet you are more or less a ghost in limbo. This means that you have a choice most others don't. You can either move on or go back. To send you back you need a kick._ "

Saras finally found his tongue again. "A kick ? So you're just gonna kick me back to my body ?" Saras couldn't help but feel stupid, he couldn't see who he was talking to. This kicker for all he knew was just his imagination...but if his imagination was working then he wouldn't be dead.

" _Yes, not with my feet, but with my energy. It will give you both a Boost and a Drawback. The Boost is the direct side-effect of the kick. Because I infuse you with my energy to get you back into your body, when you return you will still have some of my energy. Unfortunately that's not necessarily a good thing for people like you. Hence, the Drawback."_

Saras continued listening, stunned into silence. He wanted to believe it, but it was just so...people couldn't come back from the dead.

" _Yes they can ! Just go and ask your precious Daitui, see whether he remembers me !_ " The person replied hotly, clearly Saras had hit a nerve.

"What about Wugu ! Or Han Guan ! They're both dead ! Why didn't you give them a good ki-" An invisible force pressed his muzzle closed.

" _I'm not all powerful, I'm not a god, I can't save everyone. Wugu wanted to move on, and Han was pulled back by other forces_."

"Pulled back ? So he's alive ?" Saras asked skeptically, his arms crossed over his chest.

 _"You could say he was, yes. "_

 _Okay, now I know I'm dreaming._

 _"Go on then pinch yourself !_ " The figure challenged.

Saras did so, and felt the pain travel up his arm. He blinked. "I'm not dreaming ?"

The figure in the dark only chuckled. " _Most people by now would have signed the contract and gone back."_

Saras glared in the wrong direction. "I'm not most people."

The figure only chuckled harder. A scroll rolled open in front of Saras, the paper glowed golden, the ink shone black. _"Just sign at the bottom and you can go back. "_

Saras took one look at the scroll, and batted it away. "I'm not going back !"

 _"...What ?"_

* * *

Aang was normally a calm person. He rarely resorted to using his powers under normal circumstances. None of this was normal circumstances. He sent forth three icicles, which the Hemomancer managed to block only by an inch. He sent forth another wave, this time scoring two direct hits. Aang could see that the wolf was tired. Exhausted actually. He had been fighting all night, all Aang had done was effortlessly kill someone.

Aang darted forwards, his wings started hardening as a shell of ice began covering them. A sharp shell of ice. He sliced at the Hemomancer's leg, making the lupine fall on his face and trip. He followed up by puncturing the wolf's back by sliding down across it, making blood gush out like from a fountain. However, the Hemomancer had been counting on his aggression. He sent forth a ball of blood which knocked him back into a bookshelf, allowing the Hemomancer to rise. He was counting on letting Aang get up before continuing their duel when his former apprentice slashed his claws along his arm. Xueye followed up by smashing a ball of crimson into the wolf's face, knocking back his former master. The Hemomancer once again fell to the ground, but Xueye refused to relent, sending forth his blood snake. The large snake closed it's jaws on the wolf's belly and hoisted him up in the air, before shaking it's head from side to side, in accordance to the movements of Xueye's paw. The blood snake released the wolf and slithered hurriedly back to Xueye.

Aang was about to launch himself into the fight, but realized that the fight between these two was as personal as his own was. If he was going ham he knew he wouldn't want anyone to help him.

The Hemomancer chuckled and rose to his feet, grinning like a madman, showing off his missing teeth. "So this is your final decision Xueye ? You chose the family that abandoned you, over the paw that fed you."

"You did more than feed, master. You made me into this." He indicated his crimson fur.

"It was your choice", the Hemomancer shrugged. "Join us or die, and you chose to save your precious tail."

Xueye glared at the wolf. "And what choice were you given ?" The fox charged forwards, his blood snake dissipated into multiple little droplets of blood, which Xueye sent flying towards his former master.

"I had the same choice as you." The wolf replied, blocking the attack effortlessly. "All I'm saying Xueye, is that you made the right choice."

The fox was surprised, and the wolf used that sudden surprise to land a sudden blow that caught the fox in the gut, and sent him reeling.

"I was looking for an excuse to get rid of you anyways." The Hemomancer threw two more blood balls at the weakened Xueye. Luckily for the fox his Unbreakable Defensive was in good shape, and his own blood ball came up and down in time to block both and deflect them away from him.

"Master, you are more tired than I am. You can't win this fight. I don't want to kill you."

The Hemomancer cackled. "I don't have a choice Xueye. I die anyways. I die fighting. Even if you lack the guts to kill me, I'm sure that some amongst your new friends will want to avenge your dear, departed brother."

Xueye's eye twitched. "Don't you dare make fun of him."

"I'm a dead man Xueye." He grinned again. "Surely you should know that by now ?" The Hemomancer launched a ball of blood at the fox. Xueye's Unbreakable Defensive blocked it, but the ball of blood merely wrapped around his own, trapping it. The fox was unable to block another ball of blood that caught him in the chest. The Hemomancer slit both wrists and sent his blood towards the younger hemomancer. It took the shape of a gollum and wrapped it's arms around Xueye's chest, tightening it's grip on him and lifting the kit a few feet above the ground.

The Hemomancer looked his student right in the eye. "Do you know why you failed to kill your sister with the Instant Death Technique ?"

Xueye gulped, his heart racing. He was not ready to die.

The Hemomancer moved his arm up, his paw outstretched. "You share her blood, the Instant Death Technique only works if it knows the kill won't affect you." The Hemomancer grinned. "Would you like to know how little you mean to me ?"

The Hemomancer tightened his paw, but didn't quite make it into a fist, instead he merely tightened his grip on the young fox. Xueye found his breath cut short. He only had one escape possible, and he wasn't even sure whether that would work. He braced himself.

"Goodbye Xueye." The Hemomancer tightened his paw and the gollum squeezed. Xueye exploded into bits of blood, and his remains went flying everywhere.

The Hemomancer turned to Aang, not noticing Xueye's remains slowly creep into a large pool of blood, which soon morphed to show the form of the still living, unhurt Xueye.

"Master, don't use my signature move against me." The Hemomancer turned wide-eyed to see a crimson fist hurtling towards him. Xueye stood over him, before sending his blood straight into his chest. The Hemomancer was left with a large hole in the middle of his chest, but still grinned.

"I taught you well didn't I ?" He launched a ball of blood that caught Xueye and sent him flying backwards. The younger Hemomancer hit the ground hard, but still pulled himself to his feet. The two crimson mammals glared at each other, before Aang stepped inbetween them.

The Bat Lord looked straight at Xueye. "Your sister needs assistance, she's weak and tired and you fixed my little bro's arms well enough. Of the two of us, you're better suited to help her. As for your master, he knows you too well and the fight would take too long, with an unlikely outcome." Aand turned to the Hemomancer. "Let me fight him."

Xueye let his shoulders slump. He was tired. He nodded in relent and walked off to help Ji Rou.

Aang and the Hemomancer stared each other down. "Interesting, but he will still help you if you need it. I know my apprentice too well."

Aang didn't seem to care. "He won't get the chance. You're mine." He placed both wings against the ground. Ice creeped across the wooden floor and slowly climbed in the air. Layers and layers of light blue frozen water. By the time Aang was done they were in a small tower of ice. "And revenge is a dish best served cold." The Bat Lord said, readying his icicles.

* * *

 _"What do you mean you don't want to go back !? Death, death is so boring ! Why would you want to stay dead when you can live ?!"  
_

"Because there's nothing worth living for ! All I've done for seventeen years is suffer ! I never knew my family, then the only thing I had was taken from me. The Jit Kun were destroyed, gone, finished, kaput. I wasted my life trying to avenge them, only to learn that the family I always wanted didn't want me back ! I've ruined other people's lives and ended others. What's the point ?"

 _"You're avoiding the point. Stop changing the subject. Why don't you want to go back. For real."_

 _There's no point lying to someone who can read my mind is there ?_

 _"No there is not !"_

"Because...I lost what I had, looking for something that didn't want me. I lost Aang."

The figure laughed. _"So you shouted at him and ran away ? You were lost, you were confused-"_

"I was stupid and I was selfish. He suffered as much as me. Even more actually, the Jit Kun was his only family, he knew they robbed him but he loved them."

" _I admit some of your decisions were a bit less thought through. But one screw up is no reason to give up on life."_

"That's not the reason I gave up. It's because of me that he's now in danger. The Drops want him, and he's probably already dead for all I know-"

 _"Stop saying the first things that come to your mind and listen. If he were dead, I would know. You voice your thoughts too quickly. He's in danger because he came after you, because no matter how much you act like a spoiled brat he loves you."_

"I don't act like a spoilt brat."

The figure sighed. Then the blackness changed to show the following scene.

 _"Look little bro, I think you already know. Back then you weren't old enough to know. I mean, how could I possibly explain. The Jit Kun were a clan that took in children, by force or will"-_

 _Saras had heard enough."'Back then' I was too young to know, but not too young to put my life on the line for them"?_

 _"Kanbu"-_

 _"Shut up"! What am I, if not a Jit Kun ? "I have been swallowed whole, fought monsters and nearly died twenty times over, for what ? A bunch of kidnappers who I never even knew ? And the worst thing is you knew, this whole bloody time you knew but didn't bother to tell me". Saras stood up. Anger pulsed through him like blood. Aang had never cared about him, if he had he would have told him, rather than let him run off and nearly die. Aang had been using him this entire time. Sure he had volunteered for half of it, but only because he thought what he was doing was right, and of course his 'big bro' had never bothered to fill him in with all the details._

 _"Little bro"- That was the final straw. Saras' temper exploded within him, but he kept himself calm._

 _"I am not 'little' and I'm not your brother", Saras turned and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him as he bumped into a bewildered Daitui, whose gaze he avoided._

"...Okay, maybe a little."

" _Ya think ? Anyways the point is he loves you, and would gladly run all the way to the Imperial City to save your tail. Now do you want to go back ?"_

This time Saras was confident of his answer. "Yes. I'll go back."

The figure seemed to sigh in relief and handed back the contract. _"Just sign at the bottom and I'll kick that fluffy tail of yours back into it's body."_

Saras was about to sign when he remembered a story he had once been told about a warlord who had signed a demon's contract.

"Wait a minute. Why do you want me to go back so much ?"

The figure had clearly not expected that question. _"B-because it is important to keep the balance between everything-"_

"Don't give me crap. What's in it for you ?"

 _"...It's a long story."_

"I'm dead, I have all the time in the world."

 _"I won't tell it to you."_

"I won't go back."

 _"You'll never see Aang again if you don't sign it."_

Saras bit his lip. "Fine, I'll sign it. But first I'm reading every single paragraph in this scroll. Give me _the whole contract_ please."

He heard a small snarl, bitten back. _"Have it your way then."_

The dark space was suddenly illuminated by an incredibly large amount of paperwork. "This is pretty big."

 _"Your funeral."_

 _Your funeral...and I'm dead._ Saras laughed. "That was actually pretty funny."

 _"Just sign the contract,"_ the figure said.

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaaand here we have another chapter which was meant to be one big one. Two more chapters and this story is done, I promise...Depending on how badass Aang is of course.  
_

 _Also HAHAHAHAHA, did you guys honestly think I would kill off my main OC just like that. I don't like tragedies and never have. I love Saras and he means too much to me (and hopefully to you) to just be killed off like that. (Although I do think his death was pretty nicely done)._

 _After this we have the last, most action-packed (probably) fight scene in the story and then we have the even longer epilogue. I am not splitting the epilogue to save the life of me, so here's hoping I finish by May._

 _Keep Reading :)_


	24. Revenge Served Cold

Aang released all three icicles and let them fly towards the Hemomancer. The wolf blocked with a ball of blood, which he followed up by sending towards Aang. The bat ducked under it and launched himself into the air. From there he sent two more spikes of ice towards the wolf, who avoided all three.

Aang narrowed his eyes. "While I think of a slow and painful way to make you suffer, care to explain everything to me ? I've been a bit behind the times." Aang flew towards him, slicing the air with his wings, before landing on the other side of his tower of ice's walls.

"Certainly. Where do you want me to begin ?" The Hemomancer replied, before cracking his neck.

"How about why you killed my brother ?" Aang asked with barely concealed rage. The Bat Lord leapt off the wall onto the ground, slamming his wings against it he sent a trail of sharp points of ice towards the wolf. The Hemomancer leapt up to avoid it, while Aang filled the bottom of the tower with spikes of ice.

Mid air the wolf sliced off his toes with a single slash of his claws. Blood poured from the cuts, and floated mid air. The Hemomancer landed on a small platform of crimson. He grinned at the scowling face of his opponent. "It all started last spring, when your dear departed brother killed Safi Tamod."

Aang was about to launch an attack. "W-what ?" His baby brother wasn't a killer. Sure he had done some things on his first mission...but that was survival, not murder.

"He murdered the one and only daughter of Badr Tamod, who would have been betrothed to _me_ had that stupid little fox not gotten in the way."

Aang didn't believe a word of it. "And my little bro killed this girl because ?" The Bat Lord asked, noticing that the Hemomancer was almost leaning against one of the walls of ice. He grinned, noticing a plan. If he could keep the idiot talking he could end the fight quickly. _And then move on to crying_.

"Because he lost a fight against some Japanese wolverine, whom Badr declared the victor."

Aang looked at the wolf. "So you killed my brother because you _think_ he killed someone you never met who _might_ have married you ?" _Boy you're going down !_

"There are other reasons. The Drops honored their alliance with Badr Tamod and have sworn to rid the earth of evil. Your brother was the first step. In a perfect world he would not have died. We'd have kept him alive, stolen his chi to use for our noble purpose and then I would be allowed to do with him as I please."

Aang noticed bits of blood coming off of the platform the wolf was standing on. _He's stalling as well. And now he's trying to provoke me._ "But you killed him. No chi, no perfection."

The Hemomancer shrugged. "He proved to be too troublesome. We weren't counting on the triads being here, otherwise this would have gone down differently. Perfectly. But like I said, he was a threat, so I did to him what he did to me."

"You look alive and well." Aand replied with icy courtesy.

"That's nice of you to say. But I can already see your corpse, lying next to your brother's."

 _Don't take the bait. Don't take the bait. Don't take the bait._

"He screamed ever so loudly."

 _Screw it !_ "Tower of Ice Torture Technique !" Aang slammed both his wings into one of the Tower's walls. Shards of crystal clear frozen water stemmed from the walls, towards the Hemomancer, their sharp edges glinting maliciously in the little light inside the tower. The Hemomancer circled himself in a large bubble of blood to block the attack. The ice was too strong however, and burst the crimson bubble, before puncturing through the wolf's shoulders and feet, keeping him pinned mid air, the tips of ice sticking out of his paws as he was made to stand. Aang threw two more icicles, both of which hit him in the gut. The Hemomancer winced, and groaned from the pain, trying to twist free.

Aang grinned maliciously, before walking into the tower of ice.

Then the Hemomancer's eyes widened.

* * *

Ji Rou sat up and relaxed herself against the bookshelf. Xueye walked over to her and sat down awkwardly."Need any help ?"

"The bat only said that so he could have the Hemomancer to himself. I'm fine, just exhausted." Ji Rou glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "What made you come back ?" She asked with mild curiosity.

Xueye shrugged. "I couldn't leave my whole life behind... It was too big a change too quick."

Ji Rou relaxed her head against her knees. "I'm glad I met you again...even if it's over here... in these circumstances."

Xueye looked over at Saras' limp form. "I never knew him."

"And now we never will." Ji Rou said, sighing, her shoulders slumping.

* * *

Saras read through the ink until his eyes couldn't take it any more. He threw down the scroll and rubbed at his eyes. "I can't take it any more ! They're too many words ! And words I don't know the meaning of !"

 _"This is why you pay attention when learning Chinese."_

Saras growled. "Wouldn't it be simpler if you just told me what you want from me ?"

" _But that ruins the surprise. And could potentially derail destiny itself."_

"Derail her ? Good ! Destiny's such a bitch, whoever she is ! She keeps putting me in these situations which I barely manage to survive. I had my skull cracked open for flip's sake. Derailing destiny is the best idea I've heard all day."

 _"Yes, but then things wouldn't be as clear as they are now. Everything could change."_

"I don't see how you telling me why you want me to go back is going to seriously screw the universe ?"

 _"You're a child, you won't understand these things."_

"That's why you write contracts in plain Chinese. So kids understand."

 _"You are the most argumentative dead person I've ever met."_ The being sighed.

"...Er, thanks I guess."

 _"That wasn't a compliment. Now just sign the contract and trust me !"_

"You've given me no reason to. I'm not signing the contract until I have my answer." With that Saras crossed his arms over his chest and drew himself up, seriously hoping he wasn't pushing his luck.

 _"You are actually. But if you must know, it's because I need you._ "

* * *

Standing before him, looking at him from every angle was Aang. There was at least a hundred of him in the ice, staring up, or down at him, relative to their position. Pinned as he was he could only gasp in awe as they all put their wings together.

Then their combined voices boomed around him, seeming to make the whole tower shake. "They say hell is hot. But I'll make your death cold." Their wings were becoming crystallized in light blue ice, with small icicles popping out randomly.

"W-who are you ?" The Hemomancer asked, suddenly feeling a shiver traverse down his spine. It was unnatural. He hadn't felt fear in a long time.

"I'm just an angry big brother." Then he attacked. From every direction an Aang flew at him, or leapt down at him. Pinned as he was the Hemomancer could only marvel in awe and fear as the dozen Bat Lords flew at him. They all connected, and the pain he felt was unimaginable. The icicles had pinned him by piercing straight through his shoulders and feet respectively. The combined force of the Aangs was enough to push him completely off of the icicles. His feet now both had a hole in the middle, that ran from the foot's center to the end of it. Blood spilled everywhere, and his shoulders were worse, he now had symmetrical scars the size of bricks peeping where his shoulders were. And Aang wasn't done yet. The bats pierced the wolf with every single wing, slicing up his body like a meat grinder. Then there was the continued momentum, which threw him into one of the walls of the tower.

Wondering whether he would actually be able to experience death, the Hemomancer's eyes widened as the tower suddenly started to collapse...entirely on him.

Tonnes of ice fell on him, snapping bones like twigs and making him two shades more crimson than he already was. Soon he was buried under it all, seemingly dead.

Aang looked at the pile of rubble, daring it to move again. Then he turned around. _Now time to cry your heart out._ The brother he had loved and cherished, the only family he had had for twelve years. _Kanbu..._ And somewhere in his heart Aang felt a twinge of guilt. _If I had told him the truth from the beginning...I'd have lost him earlier, but he would still be alive._ Aang took one glance at Ji Rou and Xueye, they were both different, yes, but any idiot could tell they were related. _He found his family...and I wasn't there when he needed him the most_. _Kanbu...I failed you...forgive me little bro._

He had just reached his brother's lifeless corpse. Saras had not died screaming, but he had died in extreme pain. His arms were fine now thanks to Xueye, but the fox himself was as dead as a door nail. Aang checked for a pulse, and let his last hope die. Just like he had suspected...Saras Kanbujian Kanbu Shifty was no more. The Bat Lord felt tears welling up at the back of his eyes, he could already feel his cheeks wettening. Then he lay his head against his brother's chest and sobbed into the wool. He had never felt more pain than this. He was not related to Saras, but had grown used to the fact that they were as close as family should be. As children they had played together, running around the Bat Cave for what seemed like days, then there had been training with Daitui. They had thrown themselves into it enthusiastically, and had passed every test together. Everywhere they had gone, everything they had done, they had done it together. _And now I have to do it alone_.

He had no more time to move as the earth seemed to shake suddenly.

Bits of ice flew everywhere as the Hemomancer rose in all his crimson glory, apparently he had not been killed enough. Aang turned around and gasped. Xueye got to his feet, Ji Rou tried and failed to get up and the Hemomancer grinned.

"If I was that easy to kill I'd have died a long time ago."

* * *

 _"I need you ! Happy !? I, the legendary creator of the Dreamworld, needs you, a pathetic and now dead mortal."_ The being practically screamed, shaking the world of black.

Saras' jaw dropped. "I-I-I-"

 _"Don't know what to say do you ? Well in case you're as difficult as you were before, and want evidence I'll say it plain and simple. What do you think makes you so god-damn impossible to kill ? Your luck ? Your skills ? You even said it yourself, you survived having your skull cracked open ? Why ?"_

Saras blinked, all this time he had been watched ?

" _Yes ! Every step of the way ! I need you ! Now sign the contract !"_ The being screamed, as if the words 'I need you', were painful.

Saras gulped. "What do you need me for ?"

 _"DO NOT PUSH YOUR LUCK !"_ The figure screamed again, this time Saras felt a prodding on his chest. _"If you don't sign the contract you stay here for as long as I do, and believe me when I say I will make your life an eternal hell if you don't. Sign the contract, and GET OUT !"_

Saras gulped again. Clearly this figure wasn't a good person, otherwise how had they ended up here ? They clearly had some malevolent purpose in store...for maybe the world. A noble person would have spat on the contract and suffered knowing that what they had done had potentially saved the lives of thousands. But Saras was not noble, he had his flaws. _If he destroys the world he'll destroy the Mongols too, and maybe he'll go easy on me later on..._ Besides he had had enough pain in his short life to know that an eternity of it would leave him... And there was another thing. He still had the Bat Cave, his family, everything. He couldn't turn on them now. Besides he had only lived seventeen years of his life...surely fate had more in store for him. So he gulped and with one claw etched his name into the contract.

The figure seemed to sigh in relief. _"Good. Now get ready, this might be a bit uncomfortable."_

"Before I go could you tell me what my Drawback is going to be ?" Saras asked timidly.

The figure cackled. _"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. Pleasure doing business with you Saras Kanbujian Kanbu Shifty. Now GET LOST !"_

Saras felt himself being thrown into the air, before getting batted away rather unceremoniously. He felt the world of black going black, and was soon lost again.

* * *

The Hemomancer had been a mess before, now he was...even more so. Every single vein in his body had popped. Not the showy-offy look at my muscles type pop, the my circulatory system has just exploded open popped. Every single part of his body dripped crimson. Apparently he had pulled out all the stops.

Roaring in rage he released twenty balls of blood towards each of his opponents. Xueye barely managed to block both his and Ji Rou's with his Unbreakable Defensive, but Aang wasn't as fast. All twenty crashed into him, knocking him backwards into a bookshelf, seemingly out for the count. Then the blood mage turned to Xueye and Ji Rou. His arms suddenly sprouted tendrils of blood and he charged. Xueye just amnaged to get out of the way, but the Hemomancer hit Ji Rou hard, and sent her flying backwards. Then he turned to Xueye.

"My Ultimate Mode, the Full Blood Technique." He barked with laughter at the look of fear and horror painted on his former pupil's face. "By morning I will have wiped out your entire, pathetic family." He charged forwards, and launched a fist towards Xueye, who's Unbreakable Defensive once again blocked it. It was not fast enough however to block the fist that plunged into his gut, and through it. Xueye was then flung into a wall. His body healed the gaping hole in his gut quickly, but Xueye felt the pain wash over him, and for a few moments he was unable to move. Those few moments nearly cost him his life.

Saras teleported in front of the Hemomancer and landed an uppercut on the wolf, sending him reeling. It was not so much the attack, but rather the fact that the fox was alive that shocked the Hemomancer. "You ?" He asked incredulously.

"I think you'll find I'm annoyingly hard to kill." Saras retorted, standing over Xueye as the younger hemomancer rose to his feet.

"B-but your heart stopped." Xueye asked with similar surprise.

Saras shrugged. "I had my skull cracked open, I can deal with a few broken arms."

The Hemomancer regarded both of them for a moment, before being slammed into a wall by Ji Rou. "Nice to see you remembered how to breathe." The older fox teased.

Saras smiled a bit. Then the Hemomancer broke the moment and slammed a wave of crimson at the three siblings, knocking them all backwards.

"Idiotic mortals ! You know nothing of true power ! I will lead China into a revolution, where people like me rule people like you !" He cackled malevolently.

"The pain's made him go crazy," Xueye explained, using his Unbreakable Defensive to block three incoming blood balls, which he flung back at his master.

The Hemomancer caught all three and was about to throw them again when three light blue icicles slammed into his arm, each had a small rope attached to them, leading to Aang.

"Growth of Winter !" Aang sent a wave of ice down the rope which traveled to the icicle and made the frozen water spread around the Hemomancer's arm.

The wolf realized the danger of the situation and smashed his whole arm off. He shrieked in pain and in that moment lost the fight.

Saras teleported forwards and shapeshifted into a dragon, burning the whole front of his body. The wolf batted him away almost effortlessly, but he had just been the distraction. Xueye sent ropes of blood towards his former master, which bound his arms and legs, preventing him from moving. Aang followed up on this and leapt forwards, his wings went into the Hemomancer's chest and spread the ice over it. The Hemomancer, pinned as he was, was unable to do anything as he saw his body freeze in front of him. Inch by inch he became crystallized, frozen, light blue ice, with a hint of crimson. Ji Rou charged forwards and smashed her foot down on his now frozen body.

The Hemomancer shattered in a shower of crimson ice. Every single bit of him frozen, every single bit of him scattered across the floor. No technique, no hemomancy could save him now. He was finally dead.

Aang wasted no time in running over to Saras and wrapping his wings around the fox's neck, in the process knocking him to the ground. "I thought I'd never see you again. I'm so sorry I lied to you, I didn't know this would happen, forgive me !" The bat said in less than two seconds between tears of joy that made his eyes look like waterfalls.

Saras merely smiled and returned the hug. "I'm sorry I left home." Xueye got to his feet, his face quite blank, mixed with surprise, relief and a hint of worry. Ji Rou flopped against the wall with a sigh, clearly exhausted.

Somehow, something made Saras grin from ear to ear. Whatever the Drawback was, it was worth it for that moment.

* * *

 _Footnote: Okay, here we are the last fight and the penultimate chapter. I said it would be shorter...but it was just too fun.  
_

 _Right so that's this story almost complete. Out of all the fights (or the ones you can remember) what was your favorite fight scene, and which character was your favorite (out of the ones you remember anyways :P)_

 _And Saras is back to life...with some foreshadowing hinting his future will be just as smooth as the rest of his life. Not at all. Aang has, with assistance finally killed the Hemomancer, who I think got quite a satisfying death scene (especially since my main villain deaths generally seem to come out of nowhere cough cough Duyao...but technically she's not dead so...)_

 _Anyways Keep Reading, not much left now._


	25. A Plethora of Hugs and Goodbyes

**A/N: Okay guys, final chapter here, and the we're done. Honestly, I never expected this story would get so long...true the fact that I gave every character their own little finale fight scene might have helped add onto the length... Anyways, here I am with the long overdue final chapter of Between Brothers, wherein we get to see what comes in the future, as well as say goodbye to what we already have seen. Normally I say it was a fun ride, and I won't lie, this one has been the most fun yet. Anyways here we are and maybe after this I can get started on Journey to Japan...after I do all my homework and give Back in the Day some love.  
**

Huangse Kongju lifted himself onto shaking legs. Every inch of his body stung with pain. His eye narrowed and glared at the triad, lying weakly on the ground. The lion took one step forwards with his right foot, before dragging his other leg behind him. The triad had given him a limp which he hoped was not permanent. He would of course pay him back dearly.

Naan could see Huangse approaching slowly, but could do little to stop the feline, weak as he was after using the Dance of Death. His body was still regenerating, and right now any more fighting could result in the death of him...Still he was probably going to die anyways, and he would rather take Huangse down with him then go out begging for mercy. Steeling himself the triad used the wall behind him to push off the ground. He wobbled a bit, but prevented himself from falling. He held onto the wall with one arm, his other was ready to punch with.

Huangse took another step forwards when suddenly he was blasted backwards by a ball of blood. The lion roared with rage, but was unable to get up again. Xueye sent his blood snake forwards and let it wrap around the lion, lifting him into the air.

"There's been enough death today. One more won't hurt anyone." The young hemomancer tightened his paw into a fist, and watched with small satisfaction as his Instant Death Technique worked, crushing the lion's form completely. Blood flew everywhere and teh lion fell to the ground as the blood snake returned to Xueye. The fox turned to Naan. "My sister sent me. You're okay right ?"

Naan didn't need to guess who his sister was, the kid looked like Ji Rou, and what other female fox was there ? He nodded. "I'm fine. I just need a bit of rest and I'll be perfect."

Xueye nodded, before pointing at Huangse Kongju. "He's not dead by the way. He's immortal I think. The first time I met him I did the same thing, and he lived. His body will come back together again, but he won't remember a thing about his life before that."

"Don't worry, if he comes back to haunt me I'll just beat him again." Naan replied. Xueye nodded again and turned away leaving the triad by himself.

* * *

 _Twitch._

 _Scritch._

 _Twitch._

 _Scritch._

Saras scratched the back of his ears like a dog. He had discovered his Drawback, and it was not pretty. It was in short, an itch. Every single bit of his body felt like it had been drizzled in itching powder. He was relieved for a moment when he scratched himself, but was within the minute twitching to scratch again. He sighed, he hoped he would get used to it. Still it could have been worse...he could be dead.

Xueye walked out of the corridor, and gave Ji Rou a thumbs up. "He's fine. Just healing a bit." Ji Rou nodded.

Saras, Hong Ze, Ji Rou, Jiao'ao and now Xueye sat on the altar in the wreckage of the Prayer Hall. Aang had gone back to the inn to check on things there, but had made Saras promise over a hundred times to come back no matter what. But Saras couldn't leave yet. Jiao'ao had also made him come up with an explanation for when the Lords and Ladies woke up. They would be a bit curious no doubt, as to why there was a giant hole in the middle of the Prayer Room, and where the High Priest had gone. Saras had agreed to do it, so long as Jiao'ao agreed with every word he said. The peacock had agreed and they had spent the rest of the time waiting for their strength to return. They had already recounted their own individual battles, and the sun was nearly risen.

Suddenly Xueye put his paws together and announced. "Well, I'm leaving. I've still got some _personal_ business to do." He grinned. "And while I'm dealing with that I thought I might as well see the rest of the world."

Saras smiled to hide a sudden pain. "Good luck." Every single time he went on a mission or a quest, or anywhere he made friends, and then as soon as that was done he never saw them again. He sighed inside himself. It was Xueye's choice, and it made sense, the crimson fox was not going to suddenly join the Bat Cave, especially after his loyalties had been so conflicted.

Xueye could see the pain in his brother's eyes and smiled, putting a paw on the fox's shoulder. "I'll be fine, and I know you will be too. You lived most of your life without a big brother, but I promise one day I'll come and stay. I just have some loose ends to tie up." The young hemomancer nodded at Jiao'ao and Hong Ze, and was then hugged by his sister.

"Goodbye, I'm going to miss you."

Xueye smiled."Me too." He said returning the hug. Then he gave a final wave of farewell and turned away from the temple,a and walked out of it's broken doors.

* * *

Mei Ling woke up suddenly, her heart fluttering. "Er, what happened ? I was about to get m-m-married !" She got to her feet, her face in shock. _How could she have slept through her wedding ?_ She got to her feet, and hastily wiped her dress free of any dust. Then she realized that she wasn't the only one who had been sleeping. Lord La also rose to his feet, his beak dropping down to his knees.

"W-what happened ?" He asked groggily, concerned about the gaping hole in the middle of the prayer room, as well as his son's rough appearance. "Jiao'ao, what happened ? Who did this to you ? Have you been doing Kung Fu _again_ ?"

Then Saras intervened. "Sorry Lord La, but this is all a misunderstanding. I am not Lord Ishto, he cancelled his marriage to your daughter ages ago. But the Imperial Army used the arranged wedding as a foil to launch an assault against the Drops. The Drops were planning on murdering all of you in your sleep, and replacing you with their own people." Saras smiled. "Thanks to mine and your son's combined efforts we were able to put a stop to their plans."

"My son, did that ?" Lord La asked, pointing at the gaping hole in the middle of the Prayer Room.

"No, the Drops were planning on burying you in that."

Another lord, this one an obese pig stepped forwards. "You used us as bait ?! Why were we not informed of this prior to your endangering our lives ?"

Saras gave him a smile. "Because that would risk the whole operation's success, and by extent your lives." He then shrugged. "It was the Emperor's decision, I wanted to use decoys."

Then he was pulled roughly around and was faced with the large form of Mei Ling. "So you're saying I don't have to marry you ?"

"Um, yes ?" Saras said, careful not to anger her further.

She kissed him, right on the lips, right in front of everyone. Saras' cheeks turned the colour of blood, but his tail wagged from side to side in excitement. Then she pulled away and smacked him right across the muzzle.

"Ow !" He exclaimed, rubbing his muzzle.

"That was a thank you, and a warning, don't you dare get excited on me."

Saras' words were caught in his throat and he was unable to answer. "Er-Um, I -I...I I". His blush was still evident and with a final gulp he nodded his pink head and turned away, putting the temple behind him. Jiao'ao followed suite.

Lord La placed a wing on his son's shoulder. "I'm sorry if I was harsh for you. Me and the other lords are eternally grateful for your-"

"Yeah, yeah," Jiao'ao said, nodding quickly, before following after Saras. His father merely looked flabbergasted. Then he chuckled and turned to the other Lords and Ladies. "I guess we could still enjoy the wedding feast."

Jiao'ao caught up with the shapeshifter easily, smoothing the feathers on his neck with one wing. "So, you and Mei Lin-"

"I thought I already established that that woman is going to be the death of me if I stay anywhere near her." Saras looked at Jiao'ao seriously. "The kiss doesn't change anything. She's yours, I won't rob her from you."

The peacock nodded again, before changing the embarrassing subject. "So I guess you're going home now ?"

Saras perked up at that, scratching the back of his ear. "Yeah I guess. I can't wait to get back, I've nearly died too much over here. Heh-heh." then he looked at the peacock. "I guess now that I know where you live I could come and visit sometimes."

"Yeah, that would be great. I could properly show you the Forbidden City, and we could train together-"

"I thought your dad hated Kung Fu ?"

Jiao'ao smirked. "Remember our 'combined efforts' saved his life ? I know he'll keep quiet now."

Saras grinned, and held out a paw. "Until next time then."

Jiao'ao took it in his wing and shook it. "See you then."

With that Jiao'ao turned away and walked back to the Temple, while Saras continued homewards.

The fox had taken two more steps when Shan Qu barreled into him, slamming him into a wall and a hug that threatened to strangle him. "KANBU! Oh my days I thought I'd never see you again ! You have no idea how badass this is gonna sound."

The fruit bat leapt backwards and revealed a small pellet. "Xiao Xue's little attempted murder came back to bite him where it hurts when I got my wings on this baby. I call it the Wu Xing pellet."

He smashed the pellet into the ground. Suddenly, standing in front of Saras (who's jaw had dropped at that point ) was the Wu Xing he had fought with during the House of Tamod. It still towered over him, though now under Shan Qu's control it seemed to be friendlier. The bat summoned back his new pet and closed the pellet.

"Is that awesome or what ?!"

"That's really...wow. How'd you get that ?"

"Well I was looking for Aang and stuff and then I met Jixiao and then-"

Saras scratched the back of his head and listened to Shan Qu's side of the story.

Ji Rou watched him leave with a heavy heart. He has done fine so far, he can manage without you. The sad fact is, he doesn't need you. He's already all grown up. Ji Rou smiled. She was certain they would cross paths again. They were siblings for a reason.

"He does know you're his sister, right ?" Hong Ze asked.

Ji Rou shrugged. "I think he figured it out. If he hasn't... I'll tell him next time."

Naan suddenly popped up behind them. He tapped both of their shoulders. "I need to show the pair of you something." He led them through amaze of corridors and stairs, before finally pushing open a door. "I think our mission was successful."

The room was stuffed with expensive items, ranging from a solid gold table to chairs made of pure amethyst.

Hong Ze's jaw dropped. Ji Rou grinned. "I think the triads won't be too worried about where we've been when we show them this."

* * *

Jixiao walked solemnly out of the inn. He had no more business in the Imperial City, he was leaving, for good. He would probably go back to the Underworld, where he had once lived, but he was not staying here, not where his wife's ghost would haunt him forever.

"Leaving without a goodbye, are you ?"

Jixiao scowled, he had hoped to be left alone. He ignored the vulture and walked off.

"Jixiao."

The rat kept walking.

"Jixiao."

The rat scowled harder and continued ignoring.

"Ping Guo." The rat stopped and turned around.

"What do you want ?" He snapped.

"I was just going to say goodbye." Daitui turned around and Jixiao suddenly felt guilty.

Fuck you Daitui, you're too good at manipulation for your own good ! "Fine. I'm sorry. It's just, last night..." he trailed off. "I loved her Daitui. Not last night, but there was a time where she was all I had... and all I needed. "

Daitui threw his shadow and swapped places with it so that he was next to Jixiao, with a comforting wing on the rat's shoulder. "You got over her once. You can do it again. I believe in you Jixiao, if you need a place to stay the Bat Cave will always welcome you." He smiled and ruffled the smaller mammal's head.

Jixiao twisted away from the movement. "This doesn't change anything. I'm not going back, you know why." The rat turned and this time Daitui let him walk away with a sigh.

Jixiao promptly walked into Saras and Shan Qu, he collided with them and fell on his rump. He looked up, before cracking a smile as Shan Qu helped him to his feet.

"So you're both alive and well. That's nice." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "So you guys are headed home ?"

"Yeah." They replied simultaneously.

He held out his paw and they both shook it. "Good luck my young friends. May the best be with you." With that he winked and left, considerably happier.

Daitui was the next to greet Saras and pulled the shapeshifter into a hug. "If you pull another stunt like that I will amke you scrub the whole of teh Bat Cave with a toothpick. Understand ?"

Saras grinned. "Of course. But only if the toothpick's bigger than me."

Daitui smacked him lightly, which was from the vulture almost like a kiss. Saras nevertheless smiled. Then he remembered something the figure had told him about Daitui... _So that's why his eyes are weird._ "Master, when we get back I need to ask you something important. Regarding my arms..." He trailed off timidly. Daitui merely glanced at them and nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll answer your questions."

Then Aang walked in on the four of them. He grinned from ear to ear. "Glad to have you back bro."

"Glad to be back."

They hugged briefly, before Aang pulled away. "Okay guys, let's get this show on the road before the innkeeper clocks that there's a dead snake in one of the rooms and a dead bat outside."

The four walked out in unison. Saras felt something giddy inside his heart, some incredibly overpowering joy. He was finally, finally going home. He had found his family. And as he itched the back of his neck he realized that he couldn't happier.

* * *

Badr watched as the four departed, snarling to himself. Right now things were bad. Chang Shuimian and the Hemomancer were both dead. The Yellow Terror and Xueye had both left apparently, leaving him by himself. Of course he still had the sleepers, but they were... they weren't ready. _They're all I have now._ That and the Deathworm, and the Thing. He sighed.

He couldn't get the triads, Jiao'ao or Saras back yet. They were too well protected for now. But he would return, and in the time being he had other allies to use and other people to track. He grinned from ear to ear. They thought it was over already... it hadn't even started yet.

"You better be ready foxy, I'm coming for you."

But that would be in the future. For now he still ahd other targets. There was Lang, Reidak, Kunjingle, Li I, Dianbo, Ba and Babirasu. His list was still as long as ever, but he would soon be shortening it.

* * *

Crimson eyes opened to a world of black. The Hemomancer gasped. I'm still alive ? The last thing he remembered was being shattered into a tousand pieces.

He heard a chuckle that seemed to shake the whole world. _"You're not alive. You are as dead as a door nail, and will remain so. You have made a great mistake Hemomancer. You killed someone very important to me. You could have trapped me here forever. And I've already been trapped for far too long."_

The Hemomancer suddenly felt fear creep into his heart. "What do you want with me ?"

 _"Oh, don't worry, you haven't foiled my escape...but you came close to it. Too close for comfort. So I'm going to play a little game with you."_

The Hemomancer gulped.

 _"It's called Eternal Torture."_ The blackness dissapeared to reveal a world of white and a monstrous- _"Look into my eye."_

The world rung with the sounds of the wolf's screaming, the empty world, where the only one who could hear him scream was the one making him do so.

The figure chuckled, stretching his gigantic form around. _"It's been so long since I had proper company. I was beginning to feel lonely."_

All the world heard, was the Hemomancer's screams.

* * *

 _Footnote: And thus ends Between Brothers. A really nice and soppy ending for you guys :)_

 _Did you really think I was going to show you the figure so soon ? Get teased XD  
_

 _Now for a couple of projects I will announce now, but can't promise when I will release._

 _I mentioned when I finished Village Champion (a long time ago) that I wanted to explore Ashtar a bit more. Xueye's travels seems like a nice idea for a story, besides as my faithful readers already know he and Huangse are within the ranks of the Cavalry of Death several years later, so that needs to be explained upon. Then there's also Huangse backstory._

 _Then of course there's the mystery of Daitui and Jixiao, which I will start on on Halloween. No more on that :)_

 _Then there's Badr's continuing quest for revenge, which will be built upon in Journey to Japan which stars several new characters as well as Li I, Kunjingle and *** ****, sorry I can't spoil that NOW.  
_

 _And of course there's still Back in the Day which I need to expand on and there's just SO many characters in THAT.  
_

 _Of course I ahd to end this story on exactly 60K words. Otherwise my OCD would never be satisfied._


End file.
